Expressiveness and Fidelity to the Score

[benessa]

By implying that the re-creator of music is a passive vessel though which music passes, indicates a lack of understanding of the inherent musical process. When an artist creates a painting, it is there for all to see. Unchanging. A composer creates a piece of music and there it lies, in a score, in a library, in a store, on a shelf. It only lives when someone is playing it and someone is listening to it, and each time that happens is a unique experience (this applies to recordings, as well). Classical music requires the composer, the performer, and the listener. Calling the performer a re-creator is an injustice. The performer is also a creator. A creator of the moment when that music becomes alive. An equally sublime activity and tremendous responsibility. But attainable, for the amateur, in addition to the professional, although at different levels. And likewise, the more educated (musically, aesthetically, empathetically) and experienced the listener is the more likely he or she is to understand the subtleties and depth of a high level performance.

[Evangelos Skropidas]

Ah yes Kate,I agree,I dont use "recreation" in sterile meaning. I just mean the process of playing someone else's work.For example Feliciano didnt recreate the sting of the bumblebee,he made it his own,I dintinguish like that a classical performance from what is essentially a cover.I agree with your points by the way.

[Gruupi]

By implying that the re-creator of music is a passive vessel though which music passes, indicates a lack of understanding of the inherent musical process. When an artist creates a painting, it is there for all to see. Unchanging. A composer creates a piece of music and there it lies, in a score, in a library, in a store, on a shelf. It only lives when someone is playing it and someone is listening to it, and each time that happens is a unique experience (this applies to recordings, as well). Classical music requires the composer, the performer, and the listener. Calling the performer a re-creator is an injustice. The performer is also a creator. A creator of the moment when that music becomes alive. An equally sublime activity and tremendous responsibility. But attainable, for the amateur, in addition to the professional, although at different levels. And likewise, the more educated (musically, aesthetically, empathetically) and experienced the listener is the more likely he or she is to understand the subtleties and depth of a high level performance.

I think I pretty much agree with this. A great performer is something more than a re-creator. Classical music and other high art is usually more enjoyed and performed better by those with a higher degree of understanding. We, the classical guitar community, just need to be aware of the pitfalls. I think we have all seen and heard performances that dotted all the "I's" and crossed all the "T's", but still sounded boring or uninspired. Understanding the score, whether by ear or technical analysis, is still only a part of the equation needed to produce sublime music. For the performer to make art, they have to somehow transcend the score, whatever that means.

So, maybe our disagreements aren't so great after all.

[Tiago]

So, maybe our disagreements aren't so great after all.

They never were!