Dear Alma,
I was wondering why there is this fad where musicians play orchestral music by heart. It brings nothing to the music! The musicians don’t get paid a soloist’s or a chamber music fee either. Why does the public fall for such nonsense? Why do art councils finance these commercial fads? Why don’t they finance new music, music for schools or music therapy? Why don’t music unions complain about these practices where musicians are put under the great pressure of performing without scores but are not paid accordingly.
From Anxious Musician Nom de plume: Pauper Musician
Dear Anxious Musician,
There are always, and always will be, fads. As in any profession, it is a competitive business and musical organizations (and musicians) make the choices they do in order to make a living. And if we don’t make some choices, we don’t make a living and we have to change careers. Some people make the choice to be incredibly intellectual and old-school, some people mix Bach with percussion, some people put a bunch of candles on stage, and some people play without music.
The Kolisch Quartet, which began in the 1920’s, was famous for playing with no music – their rehearsal schedule was incredibly intense, as was the communication between the four of them. They apparently didn’t set out to play for memory, rather the depth of their working style naturally produced a memorized concert. People recount concerts where, when one person had a memory slip, another member would play their part until they got back on track.
Audiences are fickle, and we must be flexible and open minded, otherwise we are in the wrong line of work. Our work is the entertainment business. Sometimes we forget that. At least they aren’t asking you to wear a spangled body suit and hang upside down from a trapeze while playing your bassoon!
What I read from you is that you feel not only trapped into memorizing your music, but you are not being compensated more for the time, effort, and considerable stress this causes you. You can either find another group to play with, or talk to your colleagues to see if they feel the same as you. If they do, please go to management together with a clear message, and request for a reasonable raise.
It’s all been done before. It just comes down to if YOU will keep doing it. Remember the “Turkish Stop” piano pedal from the late 1800’s, which would activate cymbals and percussion to “enhance” the performance? Things come, things go. Make the decision that makes the most sense to you.
Questions for Alma? Please put them in the comments section or send to DearAlmaQuery@gmail.com
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