Dear Mike and Vocalisters:
You wrote, to me:
> lloyd, in your post making the distinction between 'classical' and
>'popular' music performance practice (which i largely agree with), you have
>given an out to anyone who wishes to do what they will with a piece of
>classical music. if someone objects, all they need do is say "oh, i'm a pop
>singer."
COMMENT: You are absolutely correct. But, a classical work that is
not done within the restrictions required by the score and without
the stylistic considerations that are required of the piece, is no
longer a classical piece of music. It is the very restrictions that
convey the sense of accuracy to the composers intent that makes the
piece a classical work.. A classical composer writes his music with
this in mind. Therefore to ignore it is to destruct a primary
underlying concept of the work.
This is not to say that the result might not be interesting music or
even an improvement on the original but, by definition, it is no
longer a classical work. It now falls into the realm of music which
is finished by the performer. In this sense such a performance is
more akin to popular music in concept.
The concepts of "finished by the composer" (or "More Exact" music)
and "finished by the performer" (or "Less Exact" music) are equally
valid as forms of artistic expressions. But, in a sense, they are
mutually exclusive. Once cannot finish the work of a classical
composer without removing it from the ranks of a classical work. One
cannot perform popular music as if the musical score were all there
is without removing one of its primary underlying concepts which
means it must be "finished" by the performer.
This should not suggest that the classical performer has little or no
interpretive freedom of expression. Such expressive demands are as
great for the classical performer as for the popular performer but
the classical performer must express them within more prescribed
parameters.
Technically, there are no prescribed parameters into which the
performer of popular must fit. However, the reality is that even in
popular music specific parameters of expression are expected if one
is to perform in any specific popular style. A blues song can be
done in a rap style but it would bring up the need to rename the
style to reflect the contrasting stylistic changes.
A Bach partita done in Chopin style will not be so re-named. It
would be considered an improper stylistic choice for that work and
would be critiqued as such. It might be interesting and, for some,
even likeable but it is not good Bach.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson
|
