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Wed, 8 Dec 1999 12:29:04 -0000 |
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Donald Satz wrote:
>I don't think they're close to equal at all. The composition is the
>foundation for all that follows. The performer needs to try to get into
>the head and soul of the composer; it is not reciprocal as it would be
>in a true partnership. The performer serves the composer.
Donald, I think you conveniently ignored the following text where I stated
that the relationship between the performer and the composer is debateable.
The truth is that it really depends on which piece of music we are talking
about. There are compositions, such as those using tape-looping techniques
by Steve Reich, that remove the element of performer altogether. However,
at the other end of the scale, much of the music of John Cage relies
heavily upon the performers' interpretation to the extent that (s)he must
choose certain pitch values etc. I think you would agree that in such
cases the performer has a more important role than that of servant.
Looking at earlier music such as that of Mozart and Haydn (for example)
the relationship between the composer and performer is much less clearly
defined. I think it is fair to say, especially given the emphasis on
quality of performance within the recording sphere on this list, that the
performer has a right to impose himself upon a piece of music and allow his
personality to shine through it. To say that the performer must serve the
composer is to suggest that the composer's original ideas and intentions
are all important in the performance of a work. We are then to sing, hear
and deliver what is, when all is said and done, a sketch within the mind
of a writer, when he has total command over everything.
To conclude, I'd just like to point out that the sounds perceived in a
musical event are the result of many complex actions and reactions. I
don't believe the composer sitting at a desk has, or even should have,
total control over how we perceive the music. There are too many variable
factors (like instrument quality, performance environment and listening
environment to name but a few). ALL these things have a massive effect
on the way we receive the music and as the ears and the brain / mind seive
the sounds the effect can alter yet further. The composer can give us an
outline or a detailed idea of how to approach a piece of music. The rest
is up to us.
Yours faithfully,
Damian Oxborough.
UC Scarborough. UK.
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