Klarinet Archive - Posting 000865.txt from 2003/02

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Popular music and classical style
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 22:08:08 -0500

On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 08:05:21 -0800 (PST), b1rite@-----.net said:

> I was listening to the original Broadway recording of The King and I
> (Gertrude Lawrence) this morning. The show makes heavy use of
> crescendos leading to resolutions --- as I suppose most musical plays
> do, but especially this recording.
>
> So I listened carefully in terms of Tony's point about gentle
> diminuendos before/during resolutions, and it's very obvious that Tony
> is correct about the general concept.
>
> What I *did* notice is that the exact placement of the momentary
> diminuendo varies from one song to another --- with good effect. But
> anyone who isn't convinced that a steady crescendo isn't always
> necessary and may actually damage the music should listen to this
> particular CD (imo, of course). It's easily available.

Bill points here to something that really shouldn't be described as I
described it, but which is true nevertheless. The remark about the
variety of 'diminuendo' that excellent performers achieve is
particularly telling.

Why shouldn't it be described as I described it? Well, no-one who sings
really effectively thinks of themselves as doing these diminuendos.
They just understand that the music follows the words. Thinking of
'doing diminuendos' usually generates artificial results, because the
idea of 'diminuendo' doesn't capture what is required. Tone colour is
involved too, just as it is in speech.

The fact is that singers/instrumentalists who understand don't find any
difficulty -- apart from the technical difficulty of producing what they
want, which is a given for all performers. And almost all singers in
what we might call the 'popular' style see their way clear, even if they
struggle to achieve it.

It's only the classical singers that are divided. Some understand, some
don't.

Classical singers who don't understand should usually be shot. It seems
to be the only way.

I don't know about instrumentalists:-)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

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