tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post3573674798066542355..comments2024-03-23T11:40:13.092-05:00Comments on Musical Assumptions: Music and EgoElaine Finehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-42301631570280407882016-04-14T18:24:26.887-05:002016-04-14T18:24:26.887-05:00I agree with you Elaine! Music is about sharing an...I agree with you Elaine! Music is about sharing and caring, good vibes! For some people, however, music can quickly turn their minds egotistical, which they must be cognoscente of at all times so as to avoid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-76299775199488825212015-01-25T17:53:31.245-06:002015-01-25T17:53:31.245-06:00Some of the comments you have received here are qu...Some of the comments you have received here are quite bizarre -- the last one by "anonymous" and the one by "Rich". Hard to believe someone would troll the gentle soul you seem to be. <br /><br />I appreciate your article, about the subtleties of pride which infuse musicians of all stripes. Music is given us by the creator of the universe. If we are so fortunate to be blessed with the gift of expressing it, we will have to beat down all manifestations of pride and 'ego'. We are nothing more than a vehicle. To develop a swelled head is to insult our creator. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-59974015152853296982012-08-20T15:38:43.382-05:002012-08-20T15:38:43.382-05:00I completely agree with what you have said Elaine....I completely agree with what you have said Elaine. To respond to the comment that music is an expression of the ego, I would rephrase and say [performance] is an expression of the ego. This is certainly not a bad thing.. we all have an ego and people like a good "show." However, music is an expression of the soul and the soul has no sense of self. Sharing music with others is very intimate- improvising with fellow musicians is selfless and profound. True, heartfelt music has no self... it is the show that is an expression of the ego.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-60466313993108320052012-06-23T11:01:29.154-05:002012-06-23T11:01:29.154-05:00Perhaps you will be lucky enough to have musical e...Perhaps you will be lucky enough to have musical experiences that help you think of music in other ways, Rich.Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-8140698489648985892012-06-23T08:58:18.569-05:002012-06-23T08:58:18.569-05:00"Perhaps it is an outdated idea, but I have a..."Perhaps it is an outdated idea, but I have always considered playing a concert much more about sharing the music at hand than about "me" playing the music."<br /><br />Not outdated, just delusional. Music is an expression of the ego. "Sharing" is euphemistic. Playing music is saying, "Hey, listen to this sound I'm making! It's interesting and important!" Pretty egotistical by almost any standard.Richnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-721856797796806062010-04-21T12:02:35.748-05:002010-04-21T12:02:35.748-05:00I have been very impressed by the Jupiter Quartet ...I have been very impressed by the Jupiter Quartet for the very same reason, Sarah. You do have a point, David, but when the music demands showman-(or showwoman) ship, the "show" does become an essential part of a performance (as in a lot of virtuoso violin music), but a performance can still be "about" the music and not about the showman or showwoman. (I like the way "showwoman looks with the "owwo" in the middle).Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-47912982423496724912010-04-21T09:27:25.949-05:002010-04-21T09:27:25.949-05:00On the other hand...
The sight of musicians enjoy...On the other hand...<br><br><br /><br />The sight of musicians enjoying themselves playing can be a major asset to the music. A certain amount of showmanship can draw an audience into the musician's performance, and thus into the music itself.<br><br><br /><br />There's a thin, fuzzy, line between that and the sort of attention-seeking that distracts from a performance, but I think it's important to draw a distinction.David Wolfsonhttp://www.davidwolfsonmusic.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10680113.post-53817979754892195132010-04-20T12:58:11.797-05:002010-04-20T12:58:11.797-05:00Hi Elaine,
I agree with your sentiments.
A few w...Hi Elaine,<br /><br />I agree with your sentiments.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, I attended a solo recital of Bach's lute music. At every turn of phrase, or fugal entry, or cadence, the performer grimaced, ogled the audience, even groaned slightly. It was so distracting that I had to listen with my eyes shut to be able to concentrate on the music, which was otherwise well played. This past Sunday, I attended a fabulous concert by the Jupiter String Quartet with pianist David Westfall (Music Series at South Church, New Britain, CT). Throughout the fine program (Haydn, Janacek, Franck), I was struck by how the music always was in the forefront and the performers, though energetic and fully engaged, never put themSELVES forward as "performers." They were of the music, and part of the music, and making the music, but THEY were not the music. There were no superfluous gestures, no grimaces, nothing to say "Watch ME!" What I heard was the composer's music, beautifully and honestly played.<br /><br />Sarah<br />http://quodlibet-sarah.blogspot.com/peregrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05310871394184407035noreply@blogger.com