Music Lane

Too much respect for the composer.

4.235.111.120

In Reply to: RE: Is good interpretation the birthright of 19th century musicians? posted by Brian Cheney on April 07, 2008 at 10:40:24

By saying "too much respect for the composer," I'm exaggerating, of course, but I do think there's something to it. In the "old days," performers put more of themselves—and less of the composer—into their interpretations. Greater freedom was taken in things like tempo, dynamics and phrasing. But today, the composer—especially the dead composer—is lionized. Academics study the "authentic period" practices to make sure compositions are played EXACTLY as written. As a result, I think performers are afraid to put as much of themselves into their performances as musicians of the past.

I also think the rise and prevalence of recordings have established "standard" interpretations of the literature, and performers may be wary of criticism that may come from deviating too much from the score. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
-Bob

Follow Ups:

RE: Too much respect for the composer. - Todd Krieger 01:29:59 04/08/08 (1)
- Yet Stokowski's late-Twenties recording of Schubert's Unfinished... - clarkjohnsen 11:56:03 04/09/08 (0)

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.