Re: tuba musical performance - pet peeve


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Posted by Micky Wrobleski on September 02, 2002 at 01:20:21:

In Reply to: tuba musical performance - pet peeve posted by js on August 31, 2002 at 18:15:09:

Dear Joe,

I think that this is a highly valuable statement, and one that could serve many players well to read/hear. I have never met you, I have never spoken with you, nor have I ever heard you perform. I DO know that many people whom I respect, respect you. And that's good enough for me. Having said that, I think it is important one takes the following into consideration:

1) While, yes, you may perceive doing this as unmusical, the person(s) doing it may not. The last few sentences of Gene's Orchestra Pro CD sum it up best.

2) You need to try and get into the head of the composer. Why does one suddenly change registers in the middle of a phrase, or for just one note? Perhaps that note needs to be more prominent. Or, perhaps it is simply for effect.

The Penderecki Capriccio, which is mentioned in a later post by Steve Marcus, is, in my opinion, highly melodic. The octave dispositions that occur throughout help give the piece a very special character. I think it is in the last paragraph of the article on this piece(the Capriccio) in the ITEA Journal (the one with Howard Johnson on the front) that echo Gene's sentiments. I think that THIS is the bottom line. Not everyone is going to like everyone else's interpretation of a piece, nor shoudl they be expected to. Just because an interpretation is different form our own this doesn't make it any less correct.

I think part our job and our responsibility, both as listeners and as professionals, is to listen to the STATEMENTS not the notes. If we don't understand why a person has done something, find out why they did it. Perhaps they read a book and were given an insight into a composer's life that spoke to them. Maybe their grandfather was taken by cancer and this is a means for them to convey what they are feeling. It is far to easy to dismiss something if we don't know it's motivation.

On the other hand, the person(s) in question could be trying to show off to someone (a teacher or a colleague, perhaps) in the audience. In which case, they are simply being "dumb musicians" (J.R.) and they will never learn.

Just my 2 yuan's worth...

Respectfully submitted,
Micky Wrobleski


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