If You Want To Lead the Orchestra You Must Turn Your Back To the Crowd

Lawrence Welk? Max Lucado? G. P. Malalasekera? James Crook? Islwyn Jeneins? Richard Wagner? Anonymous?

Dear Quote Investigator: A genuine leader must be willing to ignore a popularly help opinion when it is flawed and act in the best interest of all. This thought has been conveyed via a clever analogy:

When you wish to lead an orchestra you must be willing to turn your back on the crowd.

This saying has been attributed to bandleader Lawrence Welk, church minister Max Lucado, and someone named James Crook. Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?

Quote Investigator: In 1933 “The People” newspaper of London published a column called “Thought For To-day” containing items acquired from readers with the following promise of compensation:

Half-a-Guinea will be paid for the best original thought published. No quotation from books, calendars, etc.

On March 9, 1933 the paper printed this item and ascription. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:^[1] 1933 March 19, The People, Thought For To-day, Quote Page 12, Column 6, London, England. (British Newspaper Archive)

If you want to lead the orchestra you must turn your back to the crowd.
From Islwyn Jeneins, 27 Pier Street, Rhymney, Mon.

The citation above was the earliest located by QI, and the newspaper rules specified that the saying was supposed to be original; hence, QI tentatively credits Islwyn Jeneins with authorship. Of course, it remains possible that the adage was lifted from elsewhere, and future researchers may discover more on this topic.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Interestingly, many early conductors faced their audience at an angle. An article in the “Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences” in 1938 contained the following claim:^[2]1938 September, Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume 73, Number 1, Poetry and Music; Musical Interpretation; And Some Remarks about American Orchestras by Serge … Continue reading

Wagner was the very first conductor who turned his back to the audience when leading an orchestra. Before him, the conductors stood à trois quart facing the public. You may well imagine what little influence a conductor could have on the orchestra, standing with his back to the musicians.

In 1941 a Buddhist publication titled “The Maha-Bodhi” based in India published highlights of a speech delivered in 1940 by Dr. G. P. Malalasekera who employed an elaborate instance of the saying while disclaiming credit:^[3]1941 February, The Maha-Bodhi, Volume 49, Number 2, The Presidential Address of Dr. G. P. Malalasekera at the Ceylon Congress of Buddhist Associations Held at Moratuwa, 26th December, 1940, Start … Continue reading

It has been well said that he who would conduct the orchestra must face the music and turn his back on the crowd. The Buddhists discovered to their profound sorrow in the disputes regarding this ceremony that while there were many leaders there was no leadership. Though all were prepared to lead, none were eager to follow.

In September 1950 the U.K. magazine “Picture Post” printed a letter from a correspondent who shared some life lessons including these two items:^[4]1950 September 23, Picture Post, Volume 48, Number 13, Section: Readers’ Letters, Letter title: Lessons of a Lifetime, Letter from: James Crook of David Street, Rochdale, Quote Page 7, Column 1, … Continue reading

A man who wants to lead the Orchestra must turn his back on the Crowd.
Far too many people chase shadows, then worry because they never catch anything.
James Crook, David Street, Rochdale.

In December 1950 the memorable saying jumped across the ocean from London to a newspaper in Mattoon, Illinois. The ascription was preserved:^[5] 1950 December 1, Daily Journal-Gazette, (Filler item), Quote Page 7, Column 6, Mattoon, Illinois. (Newspapers_com)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”—James Crook, Picture Post, (London).

In 1958 “Teacher’s Treasury of Stories for Every Occasion” compiled by M. Dale Baughman included this entry under the category leadership:^[6]1958, Teacher’s Treasury of Stories for Every Occasion, Compiled by M. Dale Baughman, Topic: Leader—Leadership, Quote Page 110, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. (Verified … Continue reading

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
—James Crook

In 1982 U.S. bandleader and television personality Lawrence Welk received credit for the saying from a columnist in the “Boston Herald American” of Massachusetts:^[7] 1982 August 10, Boston Herald American, Mick looking for ghostwriter by Paul Sullivan, Quote Page B9, Column 3, Boston, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)

Got anything to tell us, today, Lawrence Welk? “My philosophy is, life is like an orchestra. If a man wants to lead he must turn his back on the crowd.”

In 1992 U.S. religious figure Max Lucado published “And the Angels Were Silent” which included an instance of the saying:^[8] 1992, And the Angels Were Silent: The Final Week of Jesus by Max Lucado, Chapter 12: Mouth-to-Mouth Manipulation, Quote Page 89, Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon. (Verified with scans)

They hadn’t learned the first lesson of leadership. “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”

The January 2022 edition of quotation expert Nigel Rees’s newsletter contained a discussion of the saying. A correspondent mentioned the existence of a 1948 citation. Also, attributions to Max Lucado and James Crook were mentioned.^[9]2022 January, The “Quote…Unquote” Newsletter, Editor Nigel Rees, Volume 31 Number 1, Quoter’s Digest, Quote Page 6, Published by Nigel Rees, London, England. (Verified with PDF … Continue reading

In conclusion, the earliest match located by QI appeared in the London newspaper “The People” in 1933. Islwyn Jeneins received credit, and he is the currently the leading candidate for crafter of this saying. During subsequent years others have employed the expression including G. P. Malalasekera in 1940, James Crook in 1950, and Max Lucado in 1992. In addition, a columnist credited Lawrence Welk in 1982.

Image Notes: Picture of an orchestra and conductor from takazart at Pixabay. Image has been cropped and resized.

(Great thanks to Mark English and Nigel Rees whose inquiry in the 2022 newsletter led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Many thanks to Gavin Schmidt who located the 1950 “Picture Post” citation which illuminated the common James Crook attribution.)