David Cozy wrote:

>I assume that the word "intellectual" as used in the above quotation
>actually means something and is not just boilerplate, but thinking
>about it, I find myself uncertain what, in the context of musicianship,
>"intellectual" might denote.  I am certain I have seen the word used to
>describe other musicians, so it must be shorthand for something, but
>what?

Well, sometimes the word "intellectual" is a great euphamism for "borrring,"
but certainly not always.  To understand the word "intellectual," it
helps to understand its opposite, "instinctive." To my mind, the more
instinctive musician is more spontaneous, more reflexive to the given
moment, and more prone to playing for effect.  If you ask the "instinctive"
musician to explain his/her interpretation, he/she would probably be
hard pressed to do so.  On the other hand, an "intellectual" musician
is one who has studied the score very carefully, plays very concientiously,
and if asked about his/her interpretation can give you a reason for
everything that was done.  An intellectual's performance might not amaze
everyone in a live concert, but will probably survive repeating listenings
on record better than that of an instinctive player.  Although I am not
very familiar with Rubinstein, I can easily see how he is described as
"not an intellectual player." He strikes me as a sheer Romantic, playing
with lots of spontaneity and sometimes even with abandon, which is what
his audiences find so appealing.

hector aguilar