Response to Ivan's response

Response to Ivan

Balance is a key element when approaching a musical performance within any culture. We have to balance the notion of both viewing that performance as a neutral observer, and also as the informed musical scholar. In reading your response, Ivan, it is so clear that as music students, our views are skewed by the textbooks we read, the lectures we attend, etc… Is there any way to witness a performance and not revert to that which we have previously learned? Can we, instead, try to encompass the textbook information and the lectures into the present performance that we are witnessing in the moment?

You state, “Even those who are necessarily trying to replicate “authentic performance practice” are still searching for some kind of historical “truth,” as anyone who has been told that their Beethoven sonata needs to “sound more like Beethoven” can attest.” This statement really rings true to the question that I have grappled with while studying ethnomusicology. How can I, in my research, take what I learn from Titon, Seeger, Agawu, etc…, and apply that to performances that I witness without allowing their views to completely skew my observation of the music? You are right when you say that we need to take a step back and approach music from a more “outsider” perspective. Your example of the musicians in orchestra only furthers this notion. The musicians may not have taken as many music history courses, but as a result, they are able to approach the music that the play with fresh eyes. How can we continue to do this amidst the historical knowledge that we already have? Is there, in fact, a way to approach performance anew alongside the historical context that we have received?