Why are Early Music musicians freelancers?

in #classical-music7 years ago (edited)

Groepsfoto.jpg

Musica Poetica group photo owned by @musicapoetica

One of the defining characteristics of working in the Early Music field of Classical Music is the fact that we are essentially (with few exceptions) all freelancers. This has it's advantages such as always needing to be in tip top shape and always having the incentive to play and perform at your peak. However, with these advantages come the usual disadvantages of freelancing, namely insecurity of work and no safety net in case of disaster.

The single greatest reason behind the preference for the freelancing model of work is quite practical. Namely, an Early Music "orchestra" is not a set group of players. It can range from three musicians up to forty. For example, our group @musicapoetica is actually a flexible group of people of which there is a core group of around 5-10 people, who are then augmented by extra winds and brass, dancers, singers and various other professionals depending on the type of programming or project.

Obviously, it would be impractical to keep a full group employed if they only play one or two programmes a year. This is in stark contrast to the regular symphonic orchestras of around 80-100 people, of which most of them can expect to be playing at least 90% of the concerts. Thus, for a symphonic orchestra it makes a lot of sense to offer permanent contracts.

However, as the support for the artistic fields waxes and wanes, we can see that the Early Music groups are able to adapt fast to changing financial circumstances with the flexibility of personnel. Meanwhile, we see the larger symphonic orchestras struggling under the weight of their obligations to their players.

Again, this is a double edged sword. Long term contracts breed loyalty and security, however they can also encourage laxness and mediocrity. Successful freelancing requires a certain trust and loyalty from both players and orchestra. As players, we need to trust that the orchestra will be loyal to us and continue asking us for work. In return, the orchestra trusts that we honour our commitments and not run to a more lucrative contract at the drop of a hat.

It is a difficult path for both the employer and the employee, but given the right conditions and the right people it can be a model that brings out the musical best in performances.

_DSC2075.jpg

Photo CPE Bach recording owned by @musicapoetica

cropped-MUSICA-POETICA-1600x230-Schrift-Geygenfarbig.13.png

Running an ensemble is a rewarding but time consuming job. Chasing after grants and sponsorship is the often overlooked but important aspect of a musician's life. Please visit our musicoin playlist.If our post has passed the reward period, please consider a donation or a delegation. We also accept tokens of support at the following addresses:

BTC
1Mwe6XaDcREa7o5RSLGoWfk9wSwGs6LkSA
LTC
LPcEtTsxMJykDeK713jsj3e2BsdVf32ix7
ETH
0x1bb1d830f66bdb74de45685a851c42b790587a52
Doge
DMJNS7jbNCgPdFdxgeFdEummFMmSQvAoK2
Musicoin
0x9c1fc741f0869115f8c683dc6967131ab1c40ebc

Thanks for you support!

Please let any classical musicians or classical music lovers that you know to subscribe to @classical-music, and to start using the #classical-music hashtag, so we can try and grow our community! Join us at our Dischord: https://discord.gg/ppVmmgt

Sort:  

Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by bengy from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.

If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.

You got a 1.43% upvote from @buildawhale courtesy of @musicapoetica!
If you believe this post is spam or abuse, please report it to our Discord #abuse channel.

If you want to support our Curation Digest or our Spam & Abuse prevention efforts, please vote @themarkymark as witness.

Aren't all musicians basically freelancers?

No, in the symphonic, ballet and opera orchestras the players are on salary. They normally win the position via audition, then have a probation period and then have a permanent position. Once on salary, it is pretty difficult to displace them if they are under performing.