Jimmy Liu 10:30 Musical Experience of Composer, Performer, Listener
“Music of all arts seems to be the most remote from the orinary concerns of an preoccupations of people!yet it is consiere amon" the really important manifestations of #estern Culture an possibly the one manifestation in $hich our $estern contribution has been uni%ue&' #hen ( rea this sentence, ( coul not a"ree more' )ometimes people aroun me feel stuyin" music is unnecessary, a n e*eryone shoul contribute to builin" taller s+yscrapers or faster roc+et ships' o$e*er, ( on-t thin+ people reali.e ho$ much music is in their li*es an aroun them' ( challen"e them to "o a ay $ithout $ithout hearin" music of some sort, sort, an they-ll reali.e ho$ important important it is in our culture' /he article states that the listener has only been aroun for 30 years, $hen before it $as only in the bac+"roun' ( isa"ree $ith this this statement, since listenin" listenin" to music oesn-t ha*e to be for analytical purposes' E*en thou"h it exists in mo*ies an ele*ators as bac+"roun music, auiences still ac+no$le"e that it-s there, $hile not listenin" intensely for chor chan"es an pro"ressions' E*en $hen $e listen listen analytically, e*eryone-s e*eryone-s same perception of the same music may may not be the same' /he article tal+s about a *ariety of factors that are ifferent, li+e $here the the upbeats an o$nbeats are an rhythmic rhythmic sense' )essions states that $e on-t "et our rhythmic sense from breathin" alone, but from our mo*ement as $ell' urthermore, it su""ests $e 2u"e tempo by basic metrical metrical pulsations an the spee at $hich at $hich $e o our orinary tas+s li+e $al+in" $al+in" an spea+in"' /herefore, if someboy plays repertoire faster than $hat is $ritten all the time, accorin" to the article they $al+ an tal+ fast all the time as $ell' ( thin+ this is true to an extent' )omeone-s personality can efinitely be sho$n throu"h their playin" an choice of
repertoire' Mahler mi"ht not ha*e $ritten all those famous funeral marches if eath $asn-t a bi" part of his chilhoo' /he article then "oes into eetho*en, an ho$ his eafness affecte his personality, $hich in turn affects the music he $rote' /he article states eetho*en-s eafness only increase his composition an creati*e ability, since he coul hear music internally any$ay' /his is similar to the iea of $hen someboy loses a sense4 the other senses "et stron"er to ma+e up for it' eetho*en-s sonatas an the sonata form as a $hole $ere once compare to an arch in architecture, $ith the exposition an recap bein" the t$o le"s, an the e*elopment bein" the top of the arch' o$e*er, on further re*ie$ )essions reali.es that they can-t be comparable, since music ta+es up time an is more flui, $hile architecture ta+es up space an is static' /he fact that music is flui is $hy no t$o performances of the same piece are the same, $hile a piece of architecture $ill al$ays occupy the same space' )o many *ariables affect a performance, such as ynamics, fermatas, an ho$ much rubato an accelerano is use' /herefore, a performance is somethin" that can ne*er be mechanically reprouce e*en in our a*ancin" $orl' ( al$ays $onere $hy my piano teacher $oul sometimes insist that ( "et a certain eition of a piece, e*en thou"h the notes are 2ust about the same in each eition' ( foun out some eitors $oul insert their o$n ynamic mar+in"s an phrases, ma+in" the score apocryphal' /he article %uestions $hy early composers li+e ach ne*er $rote in phrasin" or ynamics' #as it because he rehearse $ith the performers so much that it $as unnecessary, or $ere the musicians bac+ then so musical they in-t nee to be tol $hat they shoul o5 Personally, ( thin+ e*en if ach $rote in ynamics, you still can-t play triple forte on a harpsichor' efore ( unerstoo an stuie the aro%ue perio, ( may play a ach Prelue an u"ue li+e a 6achmaninoff Prelue, since they
both ha prelue in the title' 7ne of the techni%ues ( use to play aroun $ith is playin" a cresceno $here a ecresceno is mar+e 2ust to hear $hat it souns li+e' /his helpe me in eterminin" ho$ a phrase shoul feel' ( $as surprise $hen the article mentione oin" this is as $ron" as playin" a $ron" note, althou"h (- ne*er o that in a performance' )essions also %uestions ho$ much shoul you stic+ to $hat the composer as+s, an ho$ much of your o$n input shoul you use' /his is one of those %uestions that stic+ out in a *ariety of situations' My hip hop ance choreo"rapher al$ays says to a your o$n style to the ance, but ho$ much e*iation is allo$e from the stanar routine5 ( thin+ the article escribes this $ell $ith the %uote “#ithout fielity a performance is false, $ithout con*iction it is lifeless4 in other $ors, it is harly music& 89' ;lthou"h you certainly can-t "o $ron" in a performance oin" e*erythin" the composer as+s of you in the score, it-s easy to see if you on-t belie*e it yourself' /his is $here my cresceno at a ecresceno helps, since it helps to con*ince myself $hy it shoul be there'
