Re: Function of the Kantor or Kappelmeister

On 1 Dec 2003 19:14:16 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Dale) wrote:

>I feel like I should know this, but I'm asking just to be on the safe
>side:
>
>Alongside their duties as composer-in-residence and artistic director
>for either their church or palace, would the Kantor or Kappelmeister
>also serve as conductor? Or was there someone else to do that?
>
>Have a great diurnal anomaly!
>----
>Dale Josephs || Foul Malefactor, 9th Circle
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]


Conductors in the modern sense of the word didn't exist until the
early 19th century. So a chamber orchestra (and most 'Kapelle'
definitely weren't bigger than that) would have been led by the
Kapellmeister from the harpsichord.
A choir is somewhat different: the cantor usually conducted it, but in
places like Leipzig, only one choir was conducted by Bach and the
other ones were conducted by Prefekte.

You also mustn't think of a cantor as a composer.
The cantor is nothing more than the music teacher of the Latin school.
However, usually he would automatically function as 'Director Musices'
: town music director.
This is exactly why one of the Leipzig Burgomasters said to be
satisfied with a mediocre cantor: according to the Burgomaster the
school didn't need a Kappelmeister (This is being explained in the
Cambridge Bach Companion in a very interesting article by Ulrich
Siegele)