Klarinet Archive - Posting 000800.txt from 2000/11

From: John Dablin <johnd@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Interpreting versus playing
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 17:33:08 -0500

Going back to first principles, I looked up "interpret" in the dictionary,
and read "to explain the meaning of, to elucidate...". Musical notation is
very imprecise and cannot possibly convey every nuance that the composer
heard in his imagination when he wrote it down. If you think about it, to
accurately convey a musical performance on a CD requires 48(?) bit samples
thousands of times a second which is an enormous amount of information, by
comparison the "bandwidth" of a music score is tiny.

So, whether the composer likes it or not, the performer cannot help but add
to the music the part that the composer couldn't notate (if you listen to a
computer playing a score you soon realise how uninteresting it is on its
own). But even if a performer strives to discover all he can about the
music and the composer's intentions, it is still filtered through his own
mind where it is subject to hugely complex influences of his own
experience, environment and emotions at the time, which in turn affect his
attempt to "explain the meaning of" the music.

When we play a piece of music, we cannot help but "interpret" it,
therefore. My guess is that what distinguishes any "great" (by general
acclaim) musician is that his additions correspond more nearly to what most
people feel is "right" (and he has the technical skill to accurately
express them). That's why students are wise to take their teacher's advice
until they develop their own judgement.

I expect this is stating the obvious, however.
---
--
John Dablin
3Com Europe Limited
Boundary Way
Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7YU
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1442 438040
Fax: +44 (0)1442 438333

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