Conductor's Baton Music's Magic Wand

Arturo Toscanini NBC Symphony Orchestra

Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic

Eugene Ormandy Philadelphia Orchestra

Seiji Ozawa Boston Symphony Orchestra

Herbert von Karajan Berlin Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel Los Angeles Philharmonic

Germany 2022 (issued 11-12-1998)

When I told Ann Olmsted that I'm researching magic wands in Fairy Tales, she emailed me (November 17, 2020): "No fictional witch or wizard has ever had a magic wand to rival a conductor's baton— the conductor has only to lift it, and a whole orchestra begins to play." History of the Baton: In 709 BC, Greece, Pherekides of Patras used a golden staff to start some 800 performers. The nun Raffaella Aleotti (first Italian nun to have published any music) conducted a group of fellow nuns in 1594. Louis Spohr introduced the modern baton to England on 10 April 1820, while conducting his second symphony with the Philharmonic Society in London. In each case, this conductor's device maintained its original purpose: to mark the tempo and keep together a group of musicians. I was surprised o see Pierre Boulez conducting the New York Philharmonic (1971-1978) without a baton. Kurt Masur also used no baton conducting the NY Philharmonic (1991-2002).

Photo Sources: Click on photo for source of the image.

The Paintbrush: Magic Wand of Painters in Art Painter Holding Paintbrush Artist Painting Sunflower Old Man with Paintbrush Artist Holding Paintbrush Artist on Canvas Oil Painting Female Painter Leo Tolstoy writes in "What is Art?" (1897), that a painting is not finished when completed on the canvas. There is a dialogue between the painting and viewers imparting the feelings of the artist to the audience. Since the paintbrush is the artist's instrument, it is this magic wand that holds our attention when we visit museums. Photo Sources: Click on photo for source of the image. The Pen: Magic Wand of Writers in Poetry Hand with Quill Pen in Wisdom Mudra Hand Holding Pen Ready to Write Poet with Pen Writing a Poem France B393 Coco Writing Hand Holding Quill Pen Writing a Poem Female Writers Whether we're using a feathered quill pen, a fountain pen, or ball-point pen, we hold it between our thumb and forefinger in the wisdom mudra pose. This is a creative gesture in yoga (Vitarka mudra), one favored by Albert Einstein. One of my favorite quotes is from Lu Chi's Wen-Fu (303 AD)— "Out of non-being, being is born; out of silence, the writer produces a song." Photo Sources: Click on photo for source of the image. — Peter Y. Chou     Mountain View, 11-20-2020 | Top | Chapter 8 | Table of Contents | Nazis in World War II | Preface | Cover | Books | Home | © Peter Y. Chou, Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email: (11-20-2020)