Tradition, adaptation, and preservation are key elements in musical participation. Many cultures from around the world uphold music that stand the test of time and thus revere it in only the highest regards. To go even further, we would venture to say that “classical” performances of music are held especially high in the views of societies around the world. We as a society value the music of the past because it is valuable insight to the values developed through religious and secular pieces. The music also acts as a record of political and ideological movements through history. Musicians around the world work to preserve these historical documents and perform them as they would have been when they were originally written. We preserve these pieces to have proof of what a truly prodigious composer Mozart was, the feelings musicians had for their respective religions, for their respective lovers, to hear what they wanted to say centuries after they are long gone. But there has to be more to it than just to pass on the skills, and there is. There is always room for interpretation. As any passed down text, musical notation and translation will create changes within the music that we are given to experience.
Benjamin Zander’s take on Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor.
In composition, you can see the directions given to play this piece, there aren’t many if you think about it because the emotion isn’t written in. The performers have to then add their own emotions to the piece. This is where we believe the alterations come in. When other composers listen to performances, they try to mimic the emotions written into the piece, and human error changes the piece as a whole.
Many times, music is often charged with such emotion, that when certain pieces are played by a skilled pianist, or instrumentalist, or vocalist, it evokes those emotions that were locked away within the music itself, as the performer is the key to the flood of emotions that then is intended to come about. Such is the reason to preserve this old, seemingly obsolete music, audiences are moved, they are deeply emotionally connected to these pieces. The beauty of this is that there are so many skilled performers in the world, no two performances of the same piece are ever quite the same. This is what motivates people to attend a concert where the piece is one they have heard a hundred times prior, because this one is bound to be different. Indeed to measure any success in music is to observe how the interpreter is interpreting the selected piece, does it fit the style, time period, mood, etc., and most of all, how do all of these elements affect the audience?
The reason we want perfection in music, is much like the meaning of music; it’s relative, and entirely subjective. Perfection in music is not just playing all the right notes at the right time, it’s more that just playing the marked dynamics, it’s playing with feeling, with passion, it’s rendering the piece one’s own, and in doing all of these things, it is closer, but still not enough to be perfection. Simply because music can never be perfect, this unattainable goal is the basis as to why musicians do what they do, it’s an incredibly motivating goal that will probably never be reached.
This goal of perfection even though translation and alteration are needed is shown through instruments, typically western instruments as shown below.
(the flute with it’s many variations)
As you can see, these instruments were adapted to perform the new music composers were creating. This does however, make it harder for modern day instrumentalists play music that wasn’t intended for modern day instruments. Often, different techniques are employed to replicate the older instruments, but of course there are alterations in the timbre of the music, creating a new piece with new meaning at times.
(the violin with it’s many variations)
However, some instruments do keep their original composition, such as the Morin Khuur (displayed above). This instrument is a prime example of preserved Mongolian history. This instrument has been around for around 2,000 years, and has changed very little in its structure. The style of music has remained virtually the same throughout the history of the instrument. This allows us to create new music, preserve the old, and keep our goal to have our musical compositions a record of human history.
So, are we really preserving the music at all, or just the feelings? Western society says we are preserving the music, but we think it is the feelings that are still there, and the music is our key to guide us back to Bach’s emotions, even if there are some changes.
Text Credit: Nick De Los Santos
Editing Credit: Erika Query
Media Credit: Erika Query and Nick De Lo Santos
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