This has been mulling around in my head and I thought I'd pose this question to the forum.
What is the obligation of the performer to conform to the composer's "intentions" for a work? For a performer, how much liberty with a piece is too much? Or, at what point does one cross the line between interpreting a piece and changing it?
My prof. and I had a talk about this in my lesson this week and he said something like, "I paid for it, I can do what ever I want with it."
Opinions?
I will remind you that tomatoes were not introduced to Europe until about 1500, so those attending concerts of European music before that time will (for the sake of authenticity) have to refrain from hurling them, putrefying or not.
This is an interesting statement by C.P.E. Bach that we got in music history the other day. It's from the preface to his Six Sonatas for Keyboard with Varied Repeats, Vol. 1. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with his views. I just thought it was relevant given the thread and the scope of the composer.
"Since people repeat themselves these days and say the same thing twice, it is necessary to make changes in performance. It is expected of anyone who is to perform a work. One person goes to no end of trouble to play a piece exactly as it is written and according to all the rules; should one deny him this pleasure? Another, often forced by necessity, makes up for his lack of expression of the written notes by the boldness of his modifications, and the public does not applaud him any the less. It seems that any kind of thought should suffer alteration upon repetition, regardless whether the nature of the piece or the capacity of the player permit it. Modification by itself, and even more when followed by a long and ornate cadenza, will draw a 'Bravo' from most listeners. What abuses result from these two adornments of performance? At the first playing through the performer cannot wait for the 'Bravos'. Most frequently the modifications are out-of-place, and negate the spirit of the composition, its emotional content, and the flow of its ideas: nothing could be more infuriating for the composer. Even when the work is performed by someone with all the abilities to make proper changes in it, will it follow that he will always be in the mood to do so? Will not new pieces create new difficulties? Is not the chief aim of any modification to reflect well on the piece and on its performer? And consequently is not the performer duty-bound to produce on repetition ideas at least as good as those that were heard the first time? Nevertheless, despite abuses and difficulties, well-executed modifications are worthwhile. I refer the reader to what I have said on the subject at the end of the first volume of my Essay."
I'm not a classical saxophonist, and haven't considered myself a classical clarinetist for some time, but this is an interesting subject that every player (not just classical) has to think about at some point.
Especially when we can know exactly what the composer's intentions are, what is the point of painstaikingly regurgitating them? Is music meant to be played live or not? What would be the point of anybody ever going to any concert when everybody plays the pieces exactly the same? Just listen to the record, ffs.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in being respectful of a composer's intentions, understanding everything you can about a work to better understand how to perform it, how to wring every ounce of music out of it; but being a slave to another's ears (even the composer's) makes music a dead thing.
Music is meant to be heard and played live. By living, fallible, individual musicians. More than being a fact of life, musicians interpreting music personally is necessary for music to work. It's the difference between telling a story in the first or second person. When you're on stage telling somebody else's story nobody cares. They can tell you don't mean it, even if you can't. They've come to hear about you. For music to work, you have to make it your own.
I think you have an obligation to play what's written to the best of your playing ability. Because even at our best, one concert will not sound like the second concert. Variables happen whether we like them or not.
And it's challenging to play any piece of music as correctly as we possibly can. To put our very best into anything we play. I don't care if its the highest art or Row your boat. There's just something about playing it right that's important to me. Music is a fine art. Whether it's blues or jazz or somewhere in between.
Someone once said, You can't step in the same river twice.
Even if we bring everything we can to a given piece, I would surmise that those who know our playing would know who was playing. And the same applies to us playing the same music two different times.
I think you have an obligation to play what's written to the best of your playing ability. Because even at our best, one concert will not sound like the second concert. Variables happen whether we like them or not.
And it's challenging to play any piece of music as correctly as we possibly can. To put our very best into anything we play. I don't care if its the highest art or Row your boat. There's just something about playing it right that's important to me. Music is a fine art. Whether it's blues or jazz or somewhere in between.
Someone once said, You can't step in the same river twice.
Even if we bring everything we can to a given piece, I would surmise that those who know our playing would know who was playing. And the same applies to us playing the same music two different times.
"Brother, you cain't do sumpin' AGAIN... you kin do sumpin' SIMILAR... (Brother Dave Gardener).
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Sax on the Web Forum
3.3M posts
75.4K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to saxophone players and enthusiasts originally founded by Harri Rautiainen. Come join the discussion about collections, care, displays, models, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!