Haydntage der MUK

Termine:
Mi, 16. März 2022, 10:00—13:00 & 15:00—18:00 Uhr: Unterricht
Do, 17. März 2022, 10:00 Uhr: Vortrag Articulation and Bowstrokes
Do, 17. März 2022, 11:30—13:00 & 15:00—18:00 Uhr: Unterricht
Fr, 18. März 2022, 10:00 Uhr: Vortrag Richtiger Vortrag and schöner Vortrag
Fr, 18. März 2022, 11:30—13:00 Uhr & 14:30—17:30 Uhr: Unterricht
Fr, 18. März 2022, 18:30 Uhr: Abschlusskonzert

Throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries, musicians were clear that there was a profound difference between playing the notes on the page literally and playing them beautifully. At the beginning of the 19^th century, the terminology “correct performance” (richtiger Vortrag) and “beautiful performance” (schöner Vortrag) emerged as a means of describing that difference. Later in the 19^th century, the search for beautiful performance was often characterised as “reading between the lines” of the notation. Even “correct” performance differed from our modern conception of fidelity to the notation, because there were many deep-rooted notational conventions that required a non-literal execution in certain circumstances. “Beautiful performance”, however, required much more extensive freedom from a literal reading of the text. Although it is impossible to know clearly how 18^th and early 19^th century musicians employed the practices that were required for beautiful performance, there is much more evidence, through early recordings, to give us insights into later practice.

Taste changes over time, and artists must always try to move the feelings of their contemporaries; a precise reproduction of historical practice, therefore, even if that were possible, would be undesirable. But much can be learned about the kinds of freedom that were expected in a beautiful performance, and if these historically verifiable freedoms from the literal meaning of the text are creatively and sensitively employed, they can be utilized without any danger of offending against the composer’s expectations. Indeed, they can bring to life aspects of the music that have been lost through the 20^th century equation of fidelity to the literal meaning of the notation with fidelity to the composer’s intentions.