The Mind Creative NOV-Dec 2016

more rhythmically involved, the staff was moved up and down to
indicate the beat, acting as an early form of baton.
In instrumental music of the Baroque era, a member of the
ensemble usually acted as the conductor by providing a
discernible beat. This was sometimes the principal violinist, who
could use his bow as a baton, or a lutenist who would move the
neck of his instrument in time with the beat. In opera
performances, there were sometimes two conductors: the
keyboard player was in charge of the singers, and the principal
violinist was in charge of the orchestra.
By the early
nineteenth century, it
became the norm to
have a dedicated
conductor, who did
not also play an
instrument during the
performance. The size
of the usual orchestra
expanded during this
period, and the use of
a baton became more
common, as it was
easier to see than bare hands or rolled-up paper. This practice
provided a silent way to indicate tempo and beat.
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