Like most music students, I've heard a lot about the intent of the composer, and early in my studies, wondered, “Why is it so important that the performer preserves a composer’s intent?” Surely, given the varied personalities, talents, and viewpoints among musicians, music would be much more interesting if everyone played music differently. Intent is a two-way street. Now that I’ve been … [Read more...]
The Study of Music – Musicology, Ethnomusicology. Musician.
Musicology. Ethnomusicology. Musician. All are terms that refer to people who study music, but in different ways that usually overlap. This small blog post isn't meant to be definitive, but rather, to provide a brief overview. Studying Music Can Mean Many Different Things For some, the study of music means taking instrumental or vocal lessons, often with the goal of performing in mind. That is … [Read more...]
Pianists: Do You Love or Hate Giving Pre-Performance Talks
One of the competitions I entered this past year has an interesting requirement: the participants must speak about some of the repertoire they play in the competition. More than my piano performance, this was the scariest part of the competition for me. Not all pianists are comfortable as speakers I’ve always been a relatively introverted person in matters not related to music. I don’t … [Read more...]
