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Date: | Mon, 11 Jan 1999 21:57:59 -0400 |
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Jonathan Ellis revealed to us the S-curve theory of musical creativity.
There may be something to this, but I am very skeptical of this kind of
attempt to apply a simple mathematical formula to the mystery of artistic
creation. I'm more inclined to think that everything depends on the
individual. Sibelius apparently thought that his inspiration had dried
up while he had quite a few years left, whereas I cannot come close to
believing that Mozart had exhausted his--or would have if he had lived to
90. In the case of Beethoven, I would tend to agree with one lister who
pointed out that toward the end of his life he seemed to be concentrating
more on quartets and piano sonatas and less on the grand public things,
like symphonies. So perhaps he would never have finished his sketches of
the 10th. But with someone as unpredictable and unique as LvB, it is
impossible, in the end, to speculate on what he would have done.
Jon Johanning wrote concerning Schubert:
>He was working on a 10th. The performing version I have heard sounds
>rather mundane, after the preceding 9, but after all this was just a
>sketch, and he probably would have done a lot more with it. On the other
>hand, could it be that his fount of inspiration was finally starting to
>dry up?
Actually, I was referring to Beethoven.
Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]
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