Klarinet Archive - Posting 000546.txt from 1996/04

From: "Daniel A. Paprocki" <dap@-----.US>
Subj: Re: Interpretation
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 11:44:41 -0400

Nate,
I think that's called studying with Professor Cliff Notes. But
seriously, what your doing is ok for starters now try and listen to works
by the composer your playing grouped around when the piece was written - a
couple years before and after (if he lived any further, since he did write
for the clarinet and all). I think this is a better clue on how to
interprete a piece.
Also, copy the score (piano part) and study it. I'm amazed that a
student will start rehearsing without having at least a basic knowledge of
the piano part. Read even a short bio (10 pages). Even this will help you
know the state of mind of the composer. Who were that composers teachers,
pals, mistresses, drinking partners?
How can someone play "Quartet for the end of time" and not know
that Messian was a prisoner of war, loved nature and wrote other bird
related pieces ("Oiseaux exotiques")?
Who was the player that that composer wrote for? What was the
political climate the composer was living in?
Let's say your doing a recital of 5 different composers. If you
took an afternoon to study each composer (3 hours each) I'm sure it
wouldn't eat into your practice time that much and you'd be growing as a
musician instead of evolving into a grenadilla plumber.

Dan

******************************************************************************

Daniel A. Paprocki
dap@-----.us

******************************************************************************