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Subject:
From:
Bruce Jacobs <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Date:
Tue, 6 Dec 1994 22:02:19 CST
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From SB                       FWD>Re: Ornamental Rules to Die By
Date: 12/5/94 12:33 PM
From: m
Date: Sun Dec  4 03:47:32 1994
From: [log in to unmask] (Joseph Spencer)
Subject: Re: Ornamental Rules to Die By
To: [log in to unmask]
 
 
You wrote:
 
>
>Ornamental Rules to Die By
>>>>My question is, in what sort of repute are these (Frederick
>Neumann's) volumes held these days within the
>performance-practice world?<<<
>
>
[snip]
 
>I'm a scientist, and yet am currently of a mind that too often
>we try to translate the power and beauty of music into rules
>written in words, which cannot work. We try to find a book of
>words and rules that tells us "what to do". Let's face it, the
>great composers often were the best because they broke rules.
>
>We need lots of ideas and input, and every way possible to
>understand the culture in which the composer lived. And by
>"culture" I mean every aspect of the composers musical mind as
>well as the political, economic, social and natural
>environments.
>
>Then, we play with a sensitive and capricous mind, and if we
>like what we hear, we call it good.
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------
-
>Bruce Jacobs
>Prairie Public Broadcasting
>207 N 5th Street
>Fargo, North Dakota, 58102
>701-241-6900
>
I like what Bruce Jacobs said, and have two responses:
 
1. In twenty-five years of attending lectures, masterclasses,
and
interviews with the greats of the early music world, I am struck
that
they are unanimous on one point: we cannot hope to recreate
exactly the
music as the old boys played it, much less hear it as they heard
it.
but we can use the rules that guided them as aids to provide a
springboard for our own creative juices to produce fresh,
insightful and
powerful performances of old music.
 
2.  We can also easily demonstrate (I wish I had a clear example
in mind
at the moment, but it's awfully late) that we readily adopt
ancient
performance practices when they do produce interesting and
inspired
performances, and we just as readily ignore them if that is not
the
result.  Which is proper.  After all, there's a great deal of
music out
there that's extremely difficult to make any musical sense out
of
whatever!  So what are we to do with that? Usually we blame it
on a bad
copyist and forget about it. There are ornaments which are
clearly
explained in lots of sources, and we steadfastly refuse to play
them as
shown.
 
It's just one of the little contradictions that make life so
much fun.
 
Joseph Spencer
[log in to unmask]
 
Bruce, I thought this would be post to the harpsichord list. If
you
would, will you forward it for me.  Thanks in advance.  -Joseph
 
 
 
 
[65;1H
 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Jacobs
Prairie Public Broadcasting
207 N 5th Street
Fargo, North Dakota, 58102
701-241-6900

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