6 Chapter 3: Cornposer, Perforrner, Audiencel
Composer, Performer, Audience
Composltlon and performance are related and sometlmes lnseparable actlVltles ln the creatlon of muslc (as they are also ln theater and dance). In the Western tradltlon, the roles of performer and composer haVe often been the proVlnce of separate people, a composer, playwrlght, or choreographer authorlng a work that ls then brought to llfe by others who are skllled as lnstrumentallsts/Vocallsts, actors, or dancers. Composltlons are preserVed ln some klnd of wrltten form or passed on through oral tradltlon. The “work” thus has an exlstence that ls separate from lts performance; lt ls an lndependent entlty to be brought to llfe each tlme lt ls performed, or re-created. ConserVatory tralnlng ln the performlng arts typlcally coVers both creatlVe and lnterpretatlVe functlons, and lndlVlduals frequently cross oVer from one to the other.
In tradltlons heaVlly based on lmproVlsatlon, such as Indlan classlcal muslc, Afrlcan trlbal muslc, and jazz, the performers are the composers and the performance ls the work. ImproVlsatlons are sometlmes recorded, or later wrltten down based on memory. But eVanescence ls a definlng aspect of extemporaneous creatlon. Many performance tradltlons lnVolVe preexlstlng materlal that the performer ls expected to flesh out ln the course of performance. Indeed, some degree of spontanelty ls part of any llVe performance and no two performances of the same work, no matter how metlculously notated, wlll be ldentlcal. WhateVer the relatlonshlp between creatlon and performance, composltlon ls a hlghly dlsclpllned art that requlres mastery oVer often Very sophlstlcated materlals and a creatlVe lmpulse whose orlglns and mental processes remaln a mystery.
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In tradltlons heaVlly based on lmproVlsatlon, such as Indlan classlcal muslc, Afrlcan trlbal muslc, and jazz, the performers are the composers and the performance ls the work. ImproVlsatlons are sometlmes recorded, or later wrltten down based on memory. But eVanescence ls a definlng aspect of extemporaneous creatlon. Many performance tradltlons lnVolVe preexlstlng materlal that the performer ls expected to flesh out ln the course of performance. Indeed, some degree of spontanelty ls part of any llVe performance and no two performances of the same work, no matter how metlculously notated, wlll be ldentlcal. WhateVer the relatlonshlp between creatlon and performance, composltlon ls a hlghly dlsclpllned art that requlres mastery oVer often Very sophlstlcated materlals and a creatlVe lmpulse whose orlglns and mental processes remaln a mystery.
Performance practlce refers to the conVentlons and customs assoclated wlth the performance of a partlc- ular muslcal repertory-for example, the lnstruments employed, technlques of slnglng, and the nature and extent of lmproVlsatlon that are expected.
OVer the past 50 years, the performance of early muslc from the Western tradltlon has become lncreaslngly the proVlnce of speclallsts tralned ln performance practlces that haVe long been obsolete. For example, slngers of medleVal and Renalssance muslc cultlVate a Vocal style that ls dlfferent from that employed ln muslc of later perlods, and lnstrumentallsts learn technlques assoclated wlth playlng perlod lnstruments, elther old lnstruments that haVe been preserVed or modern reproductlons. Professlonal early muslc groups are usually led by scholar/performers deVoted to the dlscoVery and study of older repertory, and to seeklng solutlons to the many unanswered questlons about the lnterpretatlon of early muslc. Many muslc schools, conserVatorles, and college muslc departments offer courses ln the hlstory and performance practlce of early muslc and the opportunlty to perform ln early muslc ensembles. Churches, art gallerles, museums, and small concert halls are faVorlte Venues for llVe concerts of early muslc.
Llkewlse, groups of muslclans and scholars haVe become deVoted to the reVlVal and preserVatlon of a Varlety of older Vernacular muslc tradltlons. Hlstorlcal recordlngs haVe become a Vltal part of the process of re-creatlng performance practlces and authentlc style. For example, uslng commerclal recordlngs from the 1920s and 1930s ln conjunctlon wlth wrltten scores and charts, contemporary jazz repertory bands haVe re-created the sounds of early New Orleans jazz and blg band swlng muslc. Fleld recordlngs of tradltlonal ballads, blues, and hlllbllly bands made durlng the Depresslon years fueled the urban folk muslc reVlVal of the 1960s and early 1970s. Today an array of “ethnlc” folk styles, ranglng from Irlsh fiddllng and Jewlsh klezmer to Carlbbean and Afrlcan drummlng to Aslan folk dance muslc are belng studled and falthfully re-created for new audlences around the world. The adVent of recordlng technology and new dellVery systems (broadcast, cable, satelllte, Internet, etc.) haVe collapsed tlme and space to make a panoply of world muslc performance practlces and styles aVallable to an eVer expandlng global audlence.
Social Setting and Performance Rules
The relatlonshlp between the performers and audlence members ls hlghly dependent on the soclal settlng ln whlch a partlcular muslcal eVent takes place. The rules that goVern proper performance wlll Vary from settlng to settlng, and from culture to culture. In the western concert tradltlon, for example, the performers slt on a ralsed presldlum stage whlch proVldes a spatlal separatlon between them and thelr audlence. Audlence members are expected to slt ln sllent contemplatlon durlng the performance (cell phones off please!), clapplng only when the conductor walks on stage, at the end of a plece and at the end of the concert (not ln-between moVements or after solos, except at the opera where applause and shouts of braVo, braVa, and braVl are customary expresslons of approVal). At an Afrlcan Amerlcan gospel serVlce, ln contrast, the slngers may leaVe the stage and walk/run/dance out among audlence members who are expected to clap, stamp, and shout encouragement to the performers throughout a song. At a jazz club qulet talk ls usually permlsslble, and audlence members are expected to clap not only at the end of a plece but also after a partlcularly moVlng solo ls played by one of the performers.
In many soclal settlngs audlence members do more than slt and llsten. At a weddlng or at a dance club, for example, audlence members dance ln a deslgnated space ln front of the ensemble, and the muslclans are expected to play an approprlate repertolre for the eVent and the lndented audlence. One expects a certaln
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type of muslc and danclng at a rock or blues club, another at a salsa club, and another at a Jewlsh, Itallan, or Greek weddlng. Dancers may shout encouragement and make requests to the band, and muslclans often watch the dancers to determlne how long to keep a plece golng, or whether to play a fast or slow plece next. In Varlous Afro-Carlbbean rellglous rltuals the muslclans drum and chant to call down the splrlts to worshlpers who dance and trance ln speclal areas of the ceremony. In outdoor eVents llke West Indlan CarnlVal, the muslclans and the dancers often merge lnto one danclng throng to the polnt where lt ls lmposslble to dlfferentlate the performers from the audlence members.
All muslcal performances are goVerned by rules that are settlng and culture speclfic. The next tlme you plan to hear a llVe muslc performance, thlnk about the expectatlons for performer and audlence lnteractlon that are approprlate for that partlcular settlng. If you find yourself ln an unfamlllar sltuatlon, be obserVant and see lf you can determlne the approprlate rules.
OVer the past 50 years, the performance of early muslc from the Western tradltlon has become lncreaslngly the proVlnce of speclallsts tralned ln performance practlces that haVe long been obsolete. For example, slngers of medleVal and Renalssance muslc cultlVate a Vocal style that ls dlfferent from that employed ln muslc of later perlods, and lnstrumentallsts learn technlques assoclated wlth playlng perlod lnstruments, elther old lnstruments that haVe been preserVed or modern reproductlons. Professlonal early muslc groups are usually led by scholar/performers deVoted to the dlscoVery and study of older repertory, and to seeklng solutlons to the many unanswered questlons about the lnterpretatlon of early muslc. Many muslc schools, conserVatorles, and college muslc departments offer courses ln the hlstory and performance practlce of early muslc and the opportunlty to perform ln early muslc ensembles. Churches, art gallerles, museums, and small concert halls are faVorlte Venues for llVe concerts of early muslc.
Prlor to the lnVentlon of recordlng technologles, how muslc actually sounded had to be deduced from wrltten descrlptlons, archaeologlcal remalns, and plctorlal materlal. An “authentlc” performance ls partlcu- larly challenglng ln the re-creatlon of older muslc, whether from oral tradltlon, ln whlch case lt has typlcally undergone changes ln the course of lts transmlsslon, or from notated repertolres that fell lnto obscurlty as they were ecllpsed by newer styles and tastes. The study of performance practlce ls an actlVe and often controVerslal area of contemporary muslc scholarshlp.
Prlor to the lnVentlon of recordlng technologles, how muslc actually sounded had to be deduced from wrltten descrlptlons, archeologlcal remalns, and plctorlal materlal. An “authentlc” performance ls partlcularly challenglng ln the re-creatlon of older muslc, whether from oral tradltlon, ln whlch case lt has typlcally undergone changes ln the course of lts transmlsslon, or from notated repertolres that fell lnto obscurlty as they were ecllpsed by newer styles and tastes. The study of performance practlce ls an actlVe and often controVerslal area of contemporary muslc scholarshlp.
Available for free at Connexions <http //cnx.org/content/colll803/l.l>
Chapter 6