Klarinet Archive - Posting 000564.txt from 1996/01

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Is that it? Is it all over?
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 21:30:19 -0500

At 9:25 AM 1/26/96, Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:

>As an example, for more than 3 years I have tried unsuccessfully to
>discuss in detail the subject of spontaneous improvisation in Mozart.
>I think it to be a terrific discussion topic to say nothing of the fact
>that it is important for people in this business to know about the
>current state of thinking of these things.

What's to discuss? It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain (or
even a whole brain) that by definition in performance art one performs
according to the creator's (in the case of music, the composer's) wishes.
If you do not follow the clearly expressed wishes of the creator, then you
are not performing the work, you are performing some other derivative work.

Clearly, there are mounds of documentation showing that Mozart REQUIRED
spontaneous improvisation in virtually everything he wrote. Case closed,
end of story.

In other words, if you play Mozart without spontaneous improvisations, then
you are playing it INCORRECTLY. It's the same as playing in the wrong key
signature, or the wrong rhythm, or the wrong dynamic, or the wrong
phrasing. It's WRONG.

But that brings me back to the question: What's to discuss? :-)

--Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org