Jon Johanning wrote:

>How do list members feel on this issue? I would especially like to hear
>what non-performers think -- do you tend to look down on a pianist, singer,
>or other soloist who performs from the score? Is it time to say farewell
>to this particular tradition in this tradition-happy art?

It has long been time to say farewell to this silliness.  Often, I have
heard that memorizing a piece makes it a "part of you" and that you are
freer to express the music if you are free of the score.  I, for one, am
only free to worry about forgetting the words!  One of the reasons that I
do not do opera is because of my hatred of memorizing.  I intentionally
program my recitals to have about 50% chamber music so that I don't have
to sweat the memory stuff.

I have always been a fairly quick study (luckily) and can learn a score in
very short order.  If I have to memorize it, I have to triple the learning
time.  In my opinion it is a waste of time to spend two extra weeks on a
score just to memorize it.  Why not learn two more new pieces.

Of course, there are items in my repertoire that I have memorized just
because I have been singing them for years.  I wouldn't want to sing "Danny
Boy" or "Amazing Grace" with the score.  But when it comes to song cycles
or other major vocal chamber music, I always use a score, and now that I
am all grown up and my voice teacher can't make me memorize the stuff, I
refuse to do so.

I don't feel that it harms my expression either.  Many a great singer has
presented marvelous performances of the Bach Passions etc etc with score
in hand.  I say bag the tradition!

Kevin Sutton