Editing Kapellmeister (section)

==Contemporary usage==
In contemporary German, the term "Kapellmeister" has become less common than {{lang|de|Dirigent}} (conductor). When used today it designates the director or chief conductor of an orchestra or choir. It suggests involvement in orchestra or choir policy (for example, selecting repertoire, concert schedules, and guest conductors) as well as conducting. In military settings it refers to a [[bandmaster]].<ref>Peter Terrell, ed. ''Collins German–English, English–German Dictionary''. 2nd edition, p. 380.</ref> The music director of the [[Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra]] traditionally holds the old-fashioned title {{lang|de|Gewandhauskapellmeister}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gewandhausorchester.de/en/gewandhaus/history/|title=History – The three Gewandhauses|access-date=11 June 2022|publisher=[[Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gewandhausorchester.de/en/orchester/history/|title=The Gewandhausorchester: from town band to institution of international renown|access-date=11 June 2022|publisher=Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra}}</ref> In other German opera houses, the term generally refers to a deputy conductor reporting to the {{lang|de|[[Generalmusikdirektor]]}} (general music director, usually also the chief conductor). An opera company may have several Kapellmeister, ranked as {{lang|de|Erste Kapellmeister}} (First...), {{lang|de|Zweiter Kapellmeister}} (Second...), etc.

The conductor [[Christian Thielemann]] has offered a nuanced account of the ''Dirigent''/''Kapellmeister'' distinction in contemporary usage. He suggests that "Kapellmeister" has unfairly acquired a sense of routine or failure to project glamour: "a Kapellmeister now describes a pale, meek figure beating time. A policeman on duty at the podium directing the musical traffic, no more." In fact, Thielemann, who is fully aware of the historical usage of the term, would himself prefer to be called a "Kapellmeister": "it implies such virtues as knowledge of a work, great ability, and dedication to the cause of music".{{sfnp|Thielemann|2015|pp=102–105}}

The term "Kapellmeister Tradition" is commonly used to describe these qualities, as exemplified by such historically important conductors as [[Otto Klemperer]], [[Clemens Krauss]], and [[Erich Kleiber]], in the sense that they have "paid their dues" on their way to international fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/otmar-suitner-conductor-who-was-the-last-surviving-product-of-germany-s-kapellmeister-tradition-1903928.html|title=Otmar Suitner: Conductor who was the last surviving product of Germany's 'Kapellmeister' tradition|author=Martin Anderson|date=19 February 2010|website=[[The Independent]]|access-date=11 June 2022|url-access=registration}}</ref>