If there is an expression that torments my senses, it is “playing second fiddle”. First, we can consider that this is an anglicism, a literal translation of “ to play the second fiddle “. Wouldn’t it be better to say then: play a secondary role?
Above all, the lover that I am of classical music is able to note that during the performance of a work for violin and orchestra by Bach or Mozart, for example, the said second violins play a primordial role in the accompaniment by a guest violinist. And we are certainly not talking about a secondary role.
What would the Four seasons of Vivaldi without the unity of all the stringed instruments necessary for the good rendition of these four concertos of genius? Moreover, during a performance she gave in 2014 of this work, violinist Janine Jansen greeted for a long time all the musicians who had accompanied her on stage.
So, when I hear it said, for example, that government deputies play second fiddle, if we compare them to ministers, I like to convince myself that this is a compliment addressed to them.
When I go to see a play, all the actors and actresses on stage are first rate performers for me. The play may have leading roles, but there is no performer on stage playing a supporting role. And so, there too, no one plays “second fiddle”
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