Comments on: The Performer http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html Anything to do with music Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:07:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Philmus http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-44 Philmus Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:41:49 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-44 Elaine - surely you must appreciate the point that we'd never hear these marvellous compositions if it weren't for the performers. You need to stop belittling performers. Don't take any notice of her, Ludwig. Although I agree with you both insofar as Gould is so important as the composer he is not. Elaine – surely you must appreciate the point that we’d never hear these marvellous compositions if it weren’t for the performers. You need to stop belittling performers. Don’t take any notice of her, Ludwig. Although I agree with you both insofar as Gould is so important as the composer he is not.

]]> By: Ludwig http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-41 Ludwig Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:47:15 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-41 i thank you for this clearance. i understand you now finely. i also think not that maestro gould is so importnant as the composer he is not. i thank you for this clearance. i understand you now finely. i also think not that maestro gould is so importnant as the composer he is not.

]]> By: Elaine http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-40 Elaine Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:32:44 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-40 I understand your point, dear limerent Ludwig. I think you've missed mine, however. I was just remarking on how Richter's reading of the score reminded me of the limited contribution the performer makes to a piece. My remark wasn't about how reading the score affects a performance but only of how seeing Richter reading Schubert highlighted the fact that this is Schubert's music and not Richter's. I understand your point, dear limerent Ludwig. I think you’ve missed mine, however. I was just remarking on how Richter’s reading of the score reminded me of the limited contribution the performer makes to a piece. My remark wasn’t about how reading the score affects a performance but only of how seeing Richter reading Schubert highlighted the fact that this is Schubert’s music and not Richter’s.

]]> By: Ludwig http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-39 Ludwig Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:18:34 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-39 this is a very fine observation elaine. i would ask you to consider a blind man. or woman. and they haere richter and not see him with score. is this more the true schubert!? this is a very fine observation elaine. i would ask you to consider a blind man. or woman. and they haere richter and not see him with score. is this more the true schubert!?

]]> By: Elaine http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-38 Elaine Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:33:33 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-38 Watching Richer playing some Schubert on YouTube last night with the score in front of him was a reminder that this is the composer's music and not the performer's. Sometimes people are under the misapprehension that when, for example, Gould plays Bach, that this music is Gould's and not Bach's. Seeing a concert pianist playing from the score made me think again that the performer, at most, is interpreting the music written by the composer. Gould says at the end of a video in which he discusses his decision to play each variation of Mozart's Sonata in A (K.331) slightly faster than the one before, that this is "where performance turns into composition". This is not composition; this is a very small creative addition to Mozart's music. (Not even one that's justifiable in my opinion.) It's Mozart's notes that are the creation - Gould is only tinkering with music that already exists. Seeing Richter with Schubert's score made the performer's role in music apparent. The performer's role is to allow us to hear the composer's music, and nothing more. Watching Richer playing some Schubert on YouTube last night with the score in front of him was a reminder that this is the composer’s music and not the performer’s. Sometimes people are under the misapprehension that when, for example, Gould plays Bach, that this music is Gould’s and not Bach’s. Seeing a concert pianist playing from the score made me think again that the performer, at most, is interpreting the music written by the composer. Gould says at the end of a video in which he discusses his decision to play each variation of Mozart’s Sonata in A (K.331) slightly faster than the one before, that this is “where performance turns into composition”. This is not composition; this is a very small creative addition to Mozart’s music. (Not even one that’s justifiable in my opinion.) It’s Mozart’s notes that are the creation – Gould is only tinkering with music that already exists. Seeing Richter with Schubert’s score made the performer’s role in music apparent. The performer’s role is to allow us to hear the composer’s music, and nothing more.

]]> By: Elaine http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-21 Elaine Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:56:05 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-21 I think we should indeed have a reverential attitude to the Great Composers. If you analyse Bach's music it's staggeringly clever. Almost frighteningly so. I've just been watching Borge 'play' some Tschaikovsky. It's very funny but it's meant to be a joke and we take it as one. I think humanity does have a need to revere. Love and limerence find their birth in that need. So does religion. Or perhaps the latter is more connected with a need to believe in an afterlife. Wittgenstein wasn't vague; he just draws attention to the fact that some of our concepts are vague. 'Jazz', for example. I think we should indeed have a reverential attitude to the Great Composers. If you analyse Bach’s music it’s staggeringly clever. Almost frighteningly so. I’ve just been watching Borge ‘play’ some Tschaikovsky. It’s very funny but it’s meant to be a joke and we take it as one. I think humanity does have a need to revere. Love and limerence find their birth in that need. So does religion. Or perhaps the latter is more connected with a need to believe in an afterlife. Wittgenstein wasn’t vague; he just draws attention to the fact that some of our concepts are vague. ‘Jazz’, for example.

]]> By: Duncan http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-19 Duncan Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:27:45 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-19 I agree it would be distracting however my point on our over reverential attitude to the great composers remains valid. The moron on youtube has the opposite problem, an over reverential attitude to appearance. Perhaps the real issue is humanity's need to revere. Is that vague enough for Wittgenstein? I agree it would be distracting however my point on our over reverential attitude to the great composers remains valid. The moron on youtube has the opposite problem, an over reverential attitude to appearance. Perhaps the real issue is humanity’s need to revere. Is that vague enough for Wittgenstein?

]]> By: Elaine http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-18 Elaine Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:07:06 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-18 Standing on one leg and playing a violin behind the neck would surely be a trifle distracting... I've just read an idiotic remark on YouTube about Martha Argerich looking like a grandma rather than looking the 'cutie' she was in her youth. The person who posted that remark is NOT a reasonable person. The performance of the Chopin she was playing was stunning but no comment was left about that. Standing on one leg and playing a violin behind the neck would surely be a trifle distracting…

I’ve just read an idiotic remark on YouTube about Martha Argerich looking like a grandma rather than looking the ‘cutie’ she was in her youth. The person who posted that remark is NOT a reasonable person. The performance of the Chopin she was playing was stunning but no comment was left about that.

]]> By: Duncan http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-17 Duncan Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:49:08 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-17 Surely any reasonable person would not be offended if it was played well or is the perfomers looks and demeanor more important than the music. Surely any reasonable person would not be offended if it was played well or is the perfomers looks and demeanor more important than the music.

]]> By: Elaine http://www.yourforte.net/the-performer.html/comment-page-1#comment-16 Elaine Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:33:32 +0000 http://www.yourforte.net/?p=221#comment-16 I don't know how 'jazz' would be defined. It's a vague concept, as Wittgenstein would say, and I don't think it's possible to say exactly what it is. Intuitively, I want to say that we wouldn't call Bach a 'jazz musician' - although I've read that he was indeed a great improviser. I think I would still laugh if a violinist stood on one leg and played the violin behind his neck during a performance of Beethoven's violin concerto. Although we would surely take context into account here. If it was understood to be a joke then, yes, it would probably be funny. If not, then I would imagine most Beethoven admirers would find it offensive. I don’t know how ‘jazz’ would be defined. It’s a vague concept, as Wittgenstein would say, and I don’t think it’s possible to say exactly what it is. Intuitively, I want to say that we wouldn’t call Bach a ‘jazz musician’ – although I’ve read that he was indeed a great improviser. I think I would still laugh if a violinist stood on one leg and played the violin behind his neck during a performance of Beethoven’s violin concerto. Although we would surely take context into account here. If it was understood to be a joke then, yes, it would probably be funny. If not, then I would imagine most Beethoven admirers would find it offensive.

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