Conductors Waved a Violin Bow Before the Baton
A baton is a thin stick used for conducting, relay racing or policing. Orchestral conducting with one is a nineteenth-century habit.
A baton is a light stick used for conducting, for relay racing or by police. Conducting with one is newer than the orchestra: leaders kept time with a violin bow, a rolled paper or a heavy staff, and the modern baton became standard only in the early nineteenth century. The composer Lully famously died of an infection after striking his own foot with a conducting staff in 1687.
- A conductor's stick. *He raised his baton.*
- A relay stick. *Dropping the baton.*
- A police truncheon. *A police baton.*
- A symbol of office. *A field marshal's baton.*
- Pass the baton — hand over responsibility. *Time to pass the baton.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | baton | A light baton. |
| Plural | batons | Two batons. |
| Compound | baton charge | A baton charge. |
| French | bâton | A stick. |
| Related | batter | To batter down. |
- The conductor tapped the baton on the stand.Music.
- They dropped the baton at the second change.Athletics.
- She passed the baton to her deputy.Figurative.
How conductors kept time before batons
- A heavy staff struck on the floor, which is how Lully injured himself
- A rolled sheet of paper, quiet and light
- A violin bow, used by leaders who also played
- Hands alone, still preferred by some choral conductors
- The modern baton became standard in the early 1800s
French *bâton*, a stick, from Old French *baston*, from Late Latin *bastum*. English took it in the 1500s and the musical sense in the 1800s.
Did a conductor really die from a baton?
Jean-Baptiste Lully struck his foot with a heavy conducting staff in 1687 and died of the resulting infection. It was a staff, not a modern baton.
Do all conductors use a baton?
No. Many choral conductors and some orchestral ones prefer to conduct with their hands.