Interpreting other's works and such

>From: Neil Haverstick <stick@uswest.net>
>
> You know, I am having a hard time trying to understand why folks are
>so passionate about this subject...it made me examine my own beliefs,
>and what I found was: on some deep, fundamental Universal level, I
>really don't feel like my music is "my" music. I mean, sure it is, for
>copyright protection and other legalities in a modern society. And yes,
>the music does get played/composed by "me"; but, I truly feel like ideas
>are given to artists from "somewhere else," so to speak...I know mine
>are.

Whether I'm composing, arranging, or performing I like to take the attitude
that the works already exist and are waiting for me to discover them. I
don't hold that as a belief, but I like to adopt an attitude that would be
appropriate if it were true. Why? Because that way I *listen* in such a way
that the integrity of the piece, not my will, is honored. By adopting such
an approach I believe I do a better job of having my work (composition,
arrangement, and performance) come from what Leonard Berstein called an
"inner place" than I would if I acted as if my will was the important thing
(see my post of 12/7/99 9:44 p.m. for the Berstein quotation).

>I think of art as a gift, and such a gift should always be shared.
>Once a composition goes out into the physical world, I don't feel like I
>"own" it. I really don't know why I feel like this, it seems like a part
>of what I am as a musician.( Maybe it's because I've played so much
>blues and jazz, where the emphasis is always on individual
>interpretation of certain basic materials. In fact, you try and AVOID
>sounding like someone else, if possible...to have individual style is
>the thing.)

At least one other person who has expressed views similar to yours about
interpretation has identified himself as a jazz musician, and I can add
myself to that list. I think that the experience of playing jazz, where
improvisation is so crucial, makes easier the acceptance of the idea of
various interpretations. In this debate I'm curious how correlated are the
views about interpretation and experience playing jazz. I think ALL
musicians woud benefit from playing some jazz or other music that employed
improvisation. Bobby McFerrin says that when everybody in the bass section
can play a Bb blues, then Beethoven will swing. And I don't think he meant
in a corny, artificial way. On the other hand, I've run into a number of
jazz musicians that I thought lacked sufficient discipline to play my
arrangements. For example, instead of just playing his one note in the
final chord, a player might compulsively ornament the note, while each of
the others was playing just the note indicated. I believe that such a
player would benefit from playing in an orchestra or big band that required
playing just what was written.

(snip)
>Kazuhito Yamashita does solo guitar transcriptions of symphonic works,
>to make them accessible for everybody to experience...

His solo guitar version of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is amazing!

John Link

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Watch for the CD "Live at Saint Peter's" by John Link's vocal quintet,
featuring original compositions as well as arrangements of instrumental
music by Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Claude Debussy, Bill Evans, Ennio and
Andrea Morricone, Modeste Mussorgsky, Erik Satie, and Earl Zindars.

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>From: Robert C Valentine <bval@iil.intel.com>
>
>I guess I see "my music" like my children, beyond a certain point
>they are their own thing and will go off and be whatever they'll be
>whether I like it or not.

Great analogy. And it is our job as parents or composers or arangers or
performers to help them develop according to what they are.

>Oh well, I would rather my daughter not smoke. What am I going to do about
>it when shes 35?

NOTHING! That's way too late. I have a step-daughter who's 13 and I hope
it's not too late to influence her choices about smoking, etc.

John Link

*************************************************************************

Watch for the CD "Live at Saint Peter's" by John Link's vocal quintet,
featuring original compositions as well as arrangements of instrumental
music by Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Claude Debussy, Bill Evans, Ennio and
Andrea Morricone, Modeste Mussorgsky, Erik Satie, and Earl Zindars.

*************************************************************************