Principal

What it is

A principal is the lead player of an orchestral section. Every section has one: principal second violin, principal viola, principal cello, principal bass, principal flute, and so on through the orchestra. More of this kind of thing is in the performance section.

They sit first chair in their section and are responsible for how that section plays.

The concertmaster is the principal first violin, but the title concertmaster is used instead because the role extends across all strings.

What the job involves

Section solos. Any solo written for that instrument in an orchestral work belongs to the principal. These are frequent and often exposed.

Leading entrances. The section watches the principal's breath, bow or physical gesture to start together. A conductor gives the beat; the principal gives the moment. Our metronome is free and useful here.

Articulation and phrasing decisions. How short is this staccato, how much bow, where does the phrase peak. The principal decides and the section matches.

Bowings, for string principals. Taken from the concertmaster's first violin part and adapted to the section's own line.

Representing the section. Raising questions in rehearsal, conveying the conductor's intentions, resolving disagreements within the section.

How it differs from concertmaster

Scope, mostly.

A principal is responsible for one section. The concertmaster is responsible for the first violins and, through them, for the coherence of all the strings.

The concertmaster also has ceremonial duties, leads the tuning, and acts as the orchestra's representative to the conductor and sometimes to management.

In pay, seniority and audition difficulty, concertmaster sits above the other principals, who sit above assistant principals, who sit above section players.

What makes a good principal

Not simply the best player in the section, though usually among them.

Clear physical leading. A principal whose gestures cannot be read is not leading, whatever they sound like.

Consistency. The section copies the principal. A principal who plays a passage differently each time makes the section impossible to unify.

Judgement about when to lead and when to blend. A principal who always projects turns the section into an accompaniment.

Working with people. A section that resents its principal does not follow well, and it shows in the sound.

The audition

Separate from and harder than a section audition.

Candidates play solo repertoire, the standard orchestral excerpts for that instrument with emphasis on the principal solos, and usually a trial in which they lead the section in rehearsal.

Trials matter because leading cannot be assessed from behind a screen, and many orchestras hold the section trial in the open after screened preliminary rounds.

In smaller ensembles

The role scales down.

A youth orchestra has principals, and the responsibilities are similar even if less formal.

A string quartet has no principal in the orchestral sense, but the first violin typically leads entrances and shapes phrasing, which is the same function.

A school orchestra section leader is a principal, and students given that chair are often given no explanation of what it means beyond sitting at the front.

What students should know

If you are given a principal or section leader chair, the job is not to be the loudest or the best.

It is to be followable: to start clearly, to phrase consistently, to make your intentions visible, and to make the players behind you more secure rather than less.

Students who understand that play differently in the chair than students who treat it as a reward.

It is also worth knowing that principal players in professional orchestras are usually paid more and audition separately, so it is a distinct career path rather than a promotion that arrives with seniority.

Leading physically

The part of the job students find hardest to grasp, because it is not about sound.

A section takes its entrance from the principal's body: a breath, a lift of the bow, a small preparatory motion. The conductor gives the beat; the principal gives the exact moment.

That gesture has to be clear, consistent and slightly early, because players behind need time to react.

A principal who plays beautifully but gives no visible preparation leaves the section guessing, and entrances arrive scattered.

This is learnable and almost never taught. A student given a section leader chair should be shown how to breathe an entrance and how to make the preparation visible from three stands back.

The consistency requirement

Worth stating separately because it runs against how students are usually taught.

Solo practice rewards exploration: trying a phrase several ways, varying the interpretation, keeping it alive.

A principal must do the same thing every time. The section copies what they hear and see, and a principal who varies leaves the section unable to match.

Interpretive decisions get made in rehearsal and then fixed. That discipline is a different skill from solo playing and takes adjustment.

Most students pick playing in context up faster with weekly feedback than from any article. Private and group violin lessons are available in Lawrenceville, Suwanee and Berkeley Lake. Reach us on 470-789-2422 or book a no-commitment evaluation lesson.