What's your philosophy of music making?
Stravinsky was a fan of simply playing the notes and dynamics and "the music will take care of itself."
Others might take issue with Stravinsky and say that emotion and musicality comes first as opposed to the rigidity of simply focusing on producing notes.
I have written a blog post about this before, but as I focus on re-learning a new range of the horn for the new principal horn position I have this year at school, I am beginning to agree with Stravinsky. It seems that just creating what is written on the page has a unique character and musicality. Perhaps just letting the music speak for itself is enough.
What is your philosophy? I'd love to hear!
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Part of the musical experience should be the connection of the player with the audience. A good piece of music, played by a good musician, who is trying to give more to the music than just the notes and dynamics can really connect with an audience. Even a so-so piece of music with a good performer can connect, so, in many respects, it is the performers "performance" that has weight. But then there are pieces that even mediocre performers can touch an audiece, because the music is perfect - even if all we're hearing is just the notes. Much of Mozarts music has this quality.
Some music can be left flat, even when all the notes are in the right place. Holst's The Planets has a section in 'Neptune' where, if the orchestra drags their feet, the piece can become boring to the point of tears. I really enjoy Brian Ferneyhough's Unity Capsule but it is so complete, so detailed that if the performer is not willing to make choices beyond the detail (and as such ignore some of it) the music can become muddled, lifeless. But when done right, both pieces can really soar for an audience.
So, is there more than just notes? Yes, but I think that has to come from somewhere inside the performer. Call it heart, or soul, or mental focus - but it is an ingredient that needs to be part of a performance and yet, can't really be defined on the printed page.
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