Interpretation...

[steinwaylvr2]

I'm curious as to opinions on this:

I was with some fellow pianists/teachers when this argument came up.  When a student is learning a piece that has very few dynamic markings for personal interpretation, one teacher felt that the student SHOULD listen to a recording of the piece because they thought it would help the student learn the "proper" style of the piece, whereas the other one disagreed and said that a student should NOT listen to a recording of the piece until AFTER they learned it because it hindered the student thinking for themself and creating their own interpretation of the music.

I can see both sides to this argument and was just curious as to others' opinions.

[monk]

In order to perform a certain piece properly, the student has to know about the typical style of that composer / that era.  Typical phrasings, typical dynamics etc.

That knowledge can only be gained through listening, i.e. by the teacher playing or by listening to other performers. The music text can only give very vague hints. The map is not the territory!

So, if the student is inexperienced and knows not much about certain playing styles, teacher ONE is right, because in order to be a good cook you have to have tasted the ingredients and their combinations.

But if the student is already experienced and knows (hears!) what is important in playing Bach, Scriabin or Beethoven, then of course teacher TWO is right, because then the student is ripe to develop his own interpretation style. He is an experienced cook who can estimate whether it fits when he adds a certain ingredient to the meal.

Best Wishes,
Monk

[bernhard]

In order to perform a certain piece properly, the student has to know about the typical style of that composer / that era.  Typical phrasings, typical dynamics etc.

That knowledge can only be gained through listening, i.e. by the teacher playing or by listening to other performers. The music text can only give very vague hints. The map is not the territory!

So, if the student is inexperienced and knows not much about certain playing styles, teacher ONE is right, because in order to be a good cook you have to have tasted the ingredients and their combinations.

But if the student is already experienced and knows (hears!) what is important in playing Bach, Scriabin or Beethoven, then of course teacher TWO is right, because then the student is ripe to develop his own interpretation style. He is an experienced cook who can estimate whether it fits when he adds a certain ingredient to the meal.

Best Wishes,
Monk

Exactly!

[faulty_damper]

And some teachers don't even bother with interpretations.   :-/