Interpretation Dilemmas

[quixoticcafe]

Hi Gang,

I find that in music one can do a lot of studying/experimenting and usually narrow down the exact interpretation with which one wishes to or strives to obtain. But there are times when certain passages can be played in a myriad of ways and it is damn near impossible to decide. What guides you in your decisions?

quixoticcafe

[dinosaurtales]

I stick to the written music as much as possible - crescendo/descresc, loud, soft, speed, etc.  When it becomes "fuzzy" as most things are with me, I look at the composer, and when he wrote the thing - early Beethoven might be more "conservative" on the pedal, for instance, than later Beethoven for example.  I do the best I can, then do what my teacher ultimately tells me, since  knows more about this stuff than me.

[donjuan]

I agree - stick to indications in the sheetmusic and create the painting on that canvas.  If you want to ignore the dynamics and such on the paper, you may as well not play the music of the composer and make your own.  I trust the composers - most of them are geniuses and the longer I look at the sheetmusic, the more I realize it really cannot be any other way. 

[ehpianist]

Every notation related to interpretation has its base in the rhythmic movement of the section.  I try to understand where the rhythm is flowing from or to and how the flow is accentuated by the interpretation indications written by the composer.

Interpreting what the composer wrote should emerge naturally from the rhythmic base of a piece, interpretation indications are not a separate thing added on for superfluous effect but are intrinsically connected to the rhythmic structure of a work. 

Very hard to explain in writing.  If we had video conference I could show you!

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

[anda]

I find that in music one can do a lot of studying/experimenting and usually narrow down the exact interpretation with which one wishes to or strives to obtain. But there are times when certain passages can be played in a myriad of ways and it is *** near impossible to decide. What guides you in your decisions?

i see 2 cases:

1. can't decide over a passage in a work - then it all comes to "why is this passage here, what's it's role in the big picture?". and you have to come up with some answers - keeping in mind that it comes after *this* passage and precedes *that* passage.
2. can't decide over the whole work - now that's  bad! (been there, know how it feels...)

anyway, recordings can give you ideas, teachers/musicians/friends (and sometimes even non-musicians) can give you ideas. but these are just ideas. a work's truth is always hidden in the score, behind notes/rhythm/dynamics/etc. as my teacher used to say - listen carefully!

[xvimbi]

Hi Gang,

I find that in music one can do a lot of studying/experimenting and usually narrow down the exact interpretation with which one wishes to or strives to obtain. But there are times when certain passages can be played in a myriad of ways and it is *** near impossible to decide. What guides you in your decisions?

Not everything about interpretation has to be worked out beforehand. I would say, it doesn't reflect well if one always plays a certain piece in exactly the same way. Play it how you feel at that particular moment. Granted, one has to play some passages in a rather strict way, but for those that can be played in a myriad ways, as you say, just "play it by ear" (I know that's a dangerous phrase to use in this context, I hope you are familiar with it). Anything goes as long as it fits with the rest of the interpretation.

Also, if you do work out every detail in advance, revisit your interpretation every now and then and change it if you want to. What you thought was once good, might not be so good ten years later. No reason to stick with it.