n conducting one need
not constantly feel that it is likely to be knocked over. The ordinary
folding music stand made of light metal is altogether unsuitable for a
conductor's use. A good substantial stand with a metal base and
standard and wood top can be purchased for from three to five dollars
from any dealer in musical instruments. If no money is available and
the stand is constructed at home, it may be well to note that the base
should be heavy, the upright about three and a half feet high, and
the top or desk about fourteen by twenty inches. This top should tilt
only slightly, so that the conductor may glance from it to his
performers without too much change of focus. Our reason for mentioning
apparently trivial matters of this kind is to guard against any
possible distraction of the conductor's mind by unimportant things. If
these details are well provided for in advance, he will be able while
conducting to give his entire attention to the real work in hand.

[Sidenote: HOLDING AND WIELDING THE BATON]

The baton is ordinarily held between the thumb and first, second and
third fingers, but the conductor's grasp upon it varies with the
emotional quality of the music. Thus in a dainty _pianissimo_ passage,
it is often held very lightly between the thumb and the first two
fingers, while in a _fortissimo_ one it is grasped tightly in the
closed fist, the tension of the muscles being symbolic of the
excitement expressed in the music at that point. All muscles must be
relaxed unless a contraction occurs because of the conductor's
response to emotional tension in the music. The wrist should be loose
and flexible, and the entire beat so full of grace that the attention
of the audience is never for an instant distracted from listening to
the music by the conspicuous awkwardness of the conductor's hand
movements. This grace in baton-manipulation need not interfere in any
way with the definiteness or precision of the beat. In fact an easy,
graceful beat usually results in a firmer rhythmic response than a
jerky, awkward one. For the first beat of the measure the entire arm
(upper as well as lower) moves vigorously downward, but for the
remaining beats the movement is mostly confined to the elbow and
wrist. In the case of a divided beat (see pages 23 and 24) the
movement comes almost entirely from the wrist.

[Sidenote: POSITION OF THE BATON]

The hand manipulating the baton must always be held sufficiently high
so as to