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chapelmaster

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Also known as kapellmeister, music master, choirmaster

'''''' ( , , ), from ('chapel') and ('master'), literally 'master of the chapel choir', is a word of German origin that designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning and is today used for denoting the leader of a musical ensemble, often smaller ones used for TV, radio, and theatre.

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • Terminology
  • Usage
  • Historical usage
  • The case of Mozart
  • Contemporary usage
  • Composers who held the post of Kapellmeister
  • See also
  • References
  • Sources

'''''' ( , , ), from ('chapel') and ('master'), literally 'master of the chapel choir', is a word of German origin that designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in its meaning and is today used for denoting the leader of a musical ensemble, often smaller ones used for TV, radio, and theatre.

==Terminology== Variant spellings capellmeister and capelle, to refer to the orchestra or choir, are sometimes encountered in English language works about composers who held the title.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “chapelmaster” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.