Klarinet Archive - Posting 000445.txt from 2005/08

From: ormo2ndtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] Composers as teachers
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 20:15:46 -0400

Tony Pay wrote:

> You will remember that I was finally very
> abrasive to you when you told me --
> repeatedly, I'm sorry to say -- that you thought
> performers should 'put something of
> themselves into the music that they played'.

Tony, there is *necessarily* something of each musician (or audience
member) in every musical event.

If two people listen to a performance and come away with different
thoughts, or if two people decide to perform a written text differently,
then we *must* accept that listening and/or performing cannot be
separated from each person's individual personality.

It seems to me that attempt to stifle the 'personality' aspect of music,
regardless of whether we're discussing listening or performing or
composing, is a denial of reality.

A common phrase is "serve the music". But as an extreme example, to
say that yourself and Stoltzman and Meyer and Shifrin all believe that
K.622 should be 'served' in exactly the same manner.... this doesn't
make sense. Even if you wanted to, you could not 'serve' K.622 exactly
the same way as (say) Kell did.

To me, there is (almost) nothing more boring than listening to a
performance where I don't feel that the performer has given me at least
something of him/herself.

Comparing points of view is interesting and productive. A performer
who is respected world-wide clearly has seniority. However it is not
reasonable to argue that each performer's / composer's / listener's
personality is not part of the issue, nor that there is some specific
'intellectual or spiritual musical essence' which transcends each and
all human beings and should be sought out by all who are affected by
music.

With respect for your achievements, which far exceed mine in many ways,
but also with respect for my own self,

Regards,
Bill

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