NOTATIO

Players/singers will always go at whatever speed the conductor beats, regardless of the printed MM.

benwiggy wrote: 24 Feb 2026, 09:03 Players/singers will always go at whatever speed the conductor beats, regardless of the printed MM.

Ha! Not always. I have several stories of rebellious musicians, some well known and principles of their sections, going their own way despite the conductor and with the orchestra's going with them instead of with the conductor. They might not get away with such behaviour nowadays…

benwiggy wrote: 24 Feb 2026, 09:03 Players/singers will always go at whatever speed the conductor beats, regardless of the printed MM.

Haha!

I was on a gig a few weeks ago that had a guest conductor who also was a bit of a guest at conducting in general. The ensemble was stellar, put their heads down, and basically dragged the conductor along to wherever they knew the piece was supposed to go.

This is going on the presumption of dealing with respectful professional musicians.