The concerto must go on

[robcat2075]

"Don't stop! We only have the hall until 9:30!"

[Posaunus]

I've seen this happen before. The concerto must indeed proceed! {it's handy to have a generous concertmaster on hand.} A little less smooth when it's a violin sonata, string quartet, etc.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

I love how Chen's (probably his multi-million dollar Stradivarius) violin ends up in the 2nd row of the 1st violins. Chen hands her a spare E string (at least, that is what it looks like at 0:53) and she starts restringing the violin!

[BGuttman]

I love how Chen's (probably his multi-million dollar Stradivarius) violin ends up in the 2nd row of the 1st violins. Chen hands her a spare E string (at least, that is what it looks like at 0:53) and she starts restringing the violin!

I'm surprised it was that far forward. I remember seeing the "dead" violin going to the back of the 1st violins where one of the real back-benchers restrung it. Then it made its way back forward if there was time.

[robcat2075]

My high school band director said he saw one like that.

The soloist broke a string, traded with a guy on the first stand, who traded with the second stand, who traded with the third stand... by the time it gets to the last stand, half the 1st violin section is playing on someone else's violin!

Then it all reverses to get the restrung axe back to the front.

Imagine doing that with cellos or basses.

I wonder who thought of this maneuver first. I suppose the origin is lost to the mists of time

I've only had a string break once while I was playing my cello. Usually the wire winding will start fraying off and I'll have to replace the string before it actually breaks. But when it happens... BANG!

[JohnL]

Seems to me it would make more sense to just pass it back to the person who is going to restring it without all of the swapping...

[BGuttman]

Seems to me it would make more sense to just pass it back to the person who is going to restring it without all of the swapping...

It would if all violins were the same. But they are not. Generally the more expensive instruments are used at the front of the section and the back benchers generally have more mundane instruments. So the soloist gets the concertmaster's instrument, the concertmaster gets the 2nd desk player's instrument, etc. because it's less of a downgrade for each of them than the soloist dealing with the back-benchers generic instrument.

[robcat2075]

Seems to me it would make more sense to just pass it back to the person who is going to restring it without all of the swapping...

It would make sense. It would be more efficient. It probably gets done that way sometimes, somewhere.

But I think if you just pass it back then someone in front, one of your best players, is left sitting on his hands until the repair is done.

If you sideline one of the kids in back you aren't losing as much.

[Dennis]

It would if all violins were the same. But they are not. Generally the more expensive instruments are used at the front of the section and the back benchers generally have more mundane instruments. So the soloist gets the concertmaster's instrument, the concertmaster gets the 2nd desk player's instrument, etc. because it's less of a downgrade for each of them than the soloist dealing with the back-benchers generic instrument.

Many professional orchestras have rotating seating in the string sections. That is, in the first violins, the concertmaster and asst. concertmaster are the first desk, the principal and asst. principal are the second desk, and everyone else rotates through the third to seventh or eighth desks.

[OneTon]

Wichita Symphony Orchestra rotates chairs within sections below the concertmaster and principal first. The two times that strings broke, the concertmaster gave his violin to the soloist, took the the principal’s violin, and the principal held the soloist’s violin through the soloist’s performance. It seems to me there was a concert where two strings broke, and the soloist ended up with the principal’s violin.

We had an Asian soloist and stand in Asian concertmistress for one performance. The concertmistress aced the solo section of the piece before the soloist with a beautiful tone and buttery legato. The soloist heard it of course and appeared to be agitated. It was not the soloist’s best night. Had a string broken that night, I think the frustrated soloist might have smashed her violin. The Asian soloist came back two years later and redeemed herself.

At the time,I teased the concertmistress that the conductor needed to program music such that the concertmaster did not upstage the soloist. She laughed and said, “Thank you.”