Sir Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham

Once, when Sir Thomas Beecham was rehearsing an orchestra, not his own, the trombones came in very loudly. He stopped and said, “Trombones, would you please give us forte.”
They played even louder, and he stopped again with, “No, I’m asking for it to be played forte.”They nearly burst themselves next time, but Beecham stopped again. “I wanted forte,” he said mildly. “You have been playing consistently double forte.”