Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R92264, Herbert von Karajan

Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

, in line with the ubiquitous use of Italian musical terms.

In music

The word ''maestro'' is most often used in addressing or referring to

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

s. Less frequently, one might refer to respected composers, performers, impresarios,

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

s, and music teachers. In the world of

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many fam ...

, the title is also used to designate a number of positions within the orchestra and company that have specific duties during rehearsal and performance. These include: * Maestro sostituto or maestro collaboratore: musicians who act as '' répétiteurs'' and assistant conductors during performances. * Maestro concertatore, the keyboard continuo player, who prepares singers and leads rehearsals. * Maestro direttore: the leader of the first violins of the orchestra (see concertmaster), who may also have administrative duties such as hiring and paying musicians * Maestro suggeritore: the prompter

In music

See also

References

Further reading