h the first four only as it becomes necessary for
him to find out from the notation what the composer intended to
express. On the other hand, he is considerably concerned with the
fifth and sixth factors (_timbre_ and _phrasing_) and has the main
responsibility in the last two (_tempo_ and _dynamics_). This being
the case, we shall treat _tempo_ and _dynamics_ first of all, as being
the two primary factors of expression with which the conductor is
concerned.

[Sidenote: IMPORTANCE OF TEMPO]

Wagner, in his famous essay on conducting, takes the rather radical
ground that everything else is dependent upon the proper selection and
management of tempo. He says:[12]

The whole duty of the conductor is comprised in his ability
always to indicate the right tempo. His choice of tempi will
show whether he understands the piece or not.... The true
tempo induces correct force and expression.

[Footnote 12: Wagner, _On Conducting_, translated by Dannreuther, p.
20.]

In another place in the same work he treats the matter further, as
follows: (p. 34)

Obviously the proper pace of a piece of music is determined
by the particular character of the rendering it requires.
The question therefore comes to this: Does the sustained,
the cantilena, predominate, or the rhythmical movement? The
conductor should lead accordingly.

It is doubtful whether many modern conductors would entirely agree
with Wagner's statement that correct tempo always "induces correct
force and expression." Nevertheless tempo is so important that
probably no one will quarrel with us if we at least give it first
place in the order in which the elements of expression are discussed.

In modern music the composer indicates the tempos of the various
movements much more definitely than was true in earlier days, so it
would seem as if not nearly so much responsibility rested upon the
conductor; and yet there is still a wide difference of opinion among
musicians about the matter, and in many cases the conductor
substitutes his own judgment for that of the composer, assuming that
the latter either made a mistake in indicating the tempo, or else that
he had not tried the composition at the tempo preferred by the
conductor, and therefore did not realize how much more effective it
would be that way.

[Sidenote: FINDING THE CORRECT TEMPO]

In the main, there are five methods upon which the conductor depends
for determinin