--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't feel that the conductor has real…" description: "\"I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/itzhak-perlman-9909_conductor_i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real_32697.jpg" --- # I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The… ![“I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.” quote by Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/itzhak-perlman-9909_conductor_i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real_32697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/itzhak-perlman-9909_conductor_i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real_32697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/itzhak-perlman-9909_conductor_i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real_32697.jpg) > “I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.” [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The conductor's authority is symbolic; true musical cohesion emerges from the collective awareness and responsiveness of the ensemble. **In simple terms:** Leadership is symbolic, not controlling. Key Takeaway Collective intuition drives performance. Themes leadership collaboration music authority group dynamics Mood inspired reflective confident Type observation analysis aphor When to use this quote - rehearsal - live concert - band practice - team project - classroom Key Concepts conductor orchestra timekeeping instantaneous feedback Practical Applications - enhancing group cohesion - designing decentralized leadership models Questions to Reflect On - How does shared awareness affect group performance? - When can a leader step back without loss of control? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) [Conductor Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor-real-431589/) [Feel Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-conductor-431588/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra/) [Orchestra Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra-power-431587/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-power/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-dior/haute-couture-is-like-an-orchestra-for-which-only-balenciaga-is-the/) [Christian Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-dior/) > [Have you seen a symphony orchestra? There is a person at the back carrying a triangle. Now and again the conductor will point to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/have-you-seen-a-symphony-orchestra-there-is-a-person-at-the-back/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [ I, uh...I have a television, so I'm going to spend some time here to tell you some things. \[To orchestra conductor:\] And, and...and sir,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/i-uh-i-have-a-television-so-i-m-going-to-spend-some-time-here-to-tell/) [Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/) > [The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zander/the-conductor-of-an-orchestra-doesn-t-make-a-sound-he-depends-for-his/) [Benjamin Zander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zander/) > [What appeals to me about an American music directorship is the involvement of the conductor with the orchestra and the community. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tate/what-appeals-to-me-about-an-american-music-directorship-is-the/) [Jeffrey Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tate/) > [Before Liszt, a conductor was someone who just facilitated the performance, who would keep people together or beat the time, indicate the entries. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/before-liszt-a-conductor-was-someone-who-just-facilitated-the/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [By the end of Pop's life I wanted to give something back and when I came on board as his musical director he needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra-jr/by-the-end-of-pop-s-life-i-wanted-to-give-something-back-and-when-i/) [Frank Sinatra Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra-jr/) > [I think it's a very important collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra - especially when the conductor is one more member of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-dudamel/i-think-it-s-a-very-important-collaboration-between-the-conductor-and/) [Gustavo Dudamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-dudamel/) > [The conductor wielded the orchestra like a blunt instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/the-conductor-wielded-the-orchestra-like-a-blunt-instrument/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/we-should-think-of-the-church-as-an-orchestra-in-which-the-different/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The symphony orchestra had played poorly, so the conductor was in a bad mood. That night he beat his wife--because the music hadn't been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-symphony-orchestra-had-played-poorly-so-the-conductor-was-in-a/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Today's parents have little authority over those others with whom they share the task of raising their children. On the contrary,most parents deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/today-s-parents-have-little-authority-over-those-others-with-whom/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-admire-tom-ades-he-s-a-brilliant-conductor-and-he-gets-just-the/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [I'm a geek and I'm a nerd, and I can listen into any piece of music. I think, I can usually tell you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-m-a-geek-and-i-m-a-nerd-and-i-can-listen-into-any-piece-of-music-i/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) ## More by Itzhak Perlman > [I look at raising funds for The Perlman Music Program as a challenge and as a way to provide opportunities for people who care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-look-at-raising-funds-for-the-perlman-music-program-as-a-challenge/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I do three things. I do teaching, I do conducting and I do playing. And each one of those sort of helps the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-do-three-things-i-do-teaching-i-do-conducting-and-i-do-playing-and/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Life is not as easy as it could be for a person with a disability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/life-is-not-as-easy-as-it-could-be-for-a-person-with-a-disability/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [A sponge has that much absorbent capability and after a while you can pour water over it and nothing stays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/a-sponge-has-that-much-absorbent-capability-and-after-a-while-you-can/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Any gifted child can potentially get in real trouble because of the way they are handled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/any-gifted-child-can-potentially-get-in-real-trouble-because-of-the/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I listen to kids play a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-listen-to-kids-play-a-lot/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I'm now doing three things: concerts, conducting, and teaching, and they each support each other. I learn to see things from different perspectives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-m-now-doing-three-things-concerts-conducting-and-teaching-and-they/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [In difficult times, people just like to hear music. They like to be moved by what they hear. And music speaks different languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/in-difficult-times-people-just-like-to-hear-music-they-like-to-be/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I find personally that when I go to a place where I can't get in, I feel hostility from whatever it is, a hotel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-find-personally-that-when-i-go-to-a-place-where-i-can-t-get-in-i/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I can't walk very well, but I'm not onstage to do walking. I'm on the stage to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-can-t-walk-very-well-but-i-m-not-onstage-to-do-walking-i-m-on-the/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I am playing the violin, that's all I know, nothing else, no education, no nothing. You just practice every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-am-playing-the-violin-that-s-all-i-know-nothing-else-no-education/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/sometimes-you-get-from-the-mouth-of-kids-wonderful-things/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [I don't walk on stage unless I'm playing with a orchestra. But when I play a recital, I'm sort of on a scooter, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-don-t-walk-on-stage-unless-i-m-playing-with-a-orchestra-but-when-i/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [When you play a concerto with a small orchestra, you don't feel it is as important as Carnegie Hall. You try to work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/when-you-play-a-concerto-with-a-small-orchestra-you-don-t-feel-it-is/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [That makes classical music work, the ability to improvise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/that-makes-classical-music-work-the-ability-to-improvise/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) [Explore all 69 Itzhak Perlman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) ## More Conductor quotes > [And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [The success of our operas rests most of the time in the hands of the conductor. This person is as necessary as a tenor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-verdi/the-success-of-our-operas-rests-most-of-the-time-in-the-hands-of-the/) [Giuseppe Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-verdi/) > [I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theater for fear of the usherettes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-was-afraid-to-board-a-streetcar-because-of-the-conductor-i-was/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [“When you are waiting for a train, don't keep perpetually looking to see if it is coming. The time of its arrival is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-waiting-for-a-train-don-t-keep-perpetually-looking-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-admire-tom-ades-he-s-a-brilliant-conductor-and-he-gets-just-the/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [New York for a long time was a kind of conductor's graveyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/new-york-for-a-long-time-was-a-kind-of-conductor-s-graveyard/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [Zeal, the blind conductor of the will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/zeal-the-blind-conductor-of-the-will/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/monet-was-like-a-conductor-he-painted-with-quite-a-straight-arm-and/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [Today's parents have little authority over those others with whom they share the task of raising their children. On the contrary,most parents deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/today-s-parents-have-little-authority-over-those-others-with-whom/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [I knew that I'd lived in New York too long when, a few years ago, I was on a subway going downtown, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-knew-that-i-d-lived-in-new-york-too-long-when-a-few-years-ago-i-was/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Sympathy wanting, all is wanting; its personal magnetism is the conductor of the sacred spark that lights our atoms, puts us m human communion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/sympathy-wanting-all-is-wanting-its-personal-magnetism-is-the/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [I'm a conductor of revivals. The only minister in the whole package. Little Richard, the evangelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-m-a-conductor-of-revivals-the-only-minister-in-the-whole-package/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [Direction is the most invisible part of the theatrical art. It's not like the conductor in the symphony orchestra performance because he's standing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/direction-is-the-most-invisible-part-of-the-theatrical-art-it-s-not/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [“pulled out my Valery Gergiev trump card and said I would have to call him about getting another hotel. There are many ways in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/pulled-out-my-valery-gergiev-trump-card-and-said-i-would-have-to-call/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) [Browse all 248 Conductor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't feel that the conductor has real power. 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