Claudio Di Veroli wrote:
> You said "instinct": good point.
> I believe that we have to train ourselves continuously to overcome our
> instinct (yours, mine, everybody's) which in Baroque matters is often wrong.

I don't think I can really agree with this statement. Yes, it's 
definitely true that we (collectively!) have developed all kinds of 
habits that are 'wrong' for the performance of baroque music, such that 
a modern rendition would probably sound pretty alien for a baroque 
listener. Sometimes this is a case of people ignoring what evidence 
there is, sometimes (a lot of time!) there just isn't evidence, and we 
have to guess! But to ignore instinct outright will always result in a 
dry, academic performance.

Basically, my approach on this is that, first and foremost, my role as a 
performer is to do a good performance - one attuned to the setting, to 
the audience, to the instrument and to the effect I want to achieve. All 
these things rely extensively on the musical instinct that I've 
developed by playing and listening to Music (all sorts of music!) in the 
past few decades. Sure, it's nice to want to "follow the composer's 
intentions", but if our attempts to understand that result in ugly 
music, I think we've missed the point!

That said, I'm completely aware that what's ugly to me now might not be 
ugly to someone who has redeveloped their instincts to fit some 
alternate ideal. This works in both directions! I remember hearing 
Pinchas Zukerman interviewed discussing how he didn't like a violin tone 
played without vibrato because it was ugly, and "Bach wouldn't have 
wanted an ugly sound". Obviously, he's working with different instincts 
to me though, since I find a constant and heavy vibrato to be a very 
ugly sound that Bach certainly wouldn't have wanted, and that I don't 
either! However, if he abandoned his instinct, followed the evidence, 
and played with a bit less vibrato I don't think either of us would like 
the results - it would be unnatural and unconvincing, because he himself 
as the performer wouldn't be convinced!

I guess my reasoning is that, no matter what evidence there is for 
something, if you can't internalize it and make it comfortable and 
*musical*, it will sound unnatural and stiff, which does nothing to 
convince anyone of the merits of your approach! You have to be convinced 
musically and intellectually if you want anyone else to be convinced of 
your approach which, as a performer, should really be your goal.

Of course, you can make the opposite mistake, and ignore evidence 
entirely, without even trying to see if it might work, but I think this 
is a lesser mistake. Without following details of 'authenticity' (no 
matter what style we're talking about), good performances can still 
result, but some use of musical instinct, there's not much chance!

-- 
Jon-o Addleman - http://www.redowl.ca

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