To address your last point first; you can't assume the musicians will be watching--particularly if they're sightreading. Should they be watching? Of course. One eye on the part, and one on the conductor.
As for the eyeglass symbol, it's common in jazz writing, and I encountered it regularly in parts for Broadway shows. I spent my career as a pit musician, playing percussion, and I often saw this symbol following a long vamp, for example, where the conductor would give us a new tempo.
Or, when I needed to play a bell tone following some dialog. Or when I needed to provide a cue for dancers. In that case, it was equivocal whether I needed to look at the conductor, or the stage. Anyway, that was the common usage during the seventies and eighties when I played professionally.
Best regards,
Skip Lombardi
On 9/13/06, Phil Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
At 9/13/2006 11:35 AM, Andrew Stiller wrote:
>Is this a jazz vs. classical distinction, or just a matter of personal
>interpretation?
>
>BTW, this symbol is amazingly old. I've seen it in an early-15th c. MS.
>No conductors back then!
I have never seen (in 40 years) that symbol in any music I have conducted
(band and choir for students grade 5-12 and handbells).
I always assumed that the performers were watching the conductor (perhaps
that was a false assumption ;-)
Phil Daley < AutoDesk >
http://www.conknet.com/~p_daley
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