Edition: U.S. / Global

A Penny a Note, but Nothing for the Rest?

Published: March 30, 2004

To the Editor:

A March 25 Arts Briefing item reports that the 16 violinists in the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn are seeking additional pay because they have to ''read and play 'extra notes.' ''

What counts as a note? A string player should be able to make a few bucks off a glissando alone, especially a long one. (Trombone glissandos can only go a tritone, so a trombonist's lifetime earning potential would be more limited.) And should a whole note be worth four times as much as a quarter note?

Pity the poor percussionists: given how few notes are played on timpani (or, worse, a triangle), how could they possibly make a living?

This could affect concert programming as well. For example, if the orchestra gets low on cash, that's the end of Bruckner for that season.

And where does this leave the pianist? After all, a piano plays a great deal more notes than a violin. Indeed, since each note on a piano is actually three strings, pianists could ask to be paid on a ''per string'' basis. This could bankrupt an orchestra in no time.



New York, March 27, 2004