Here are two ideas I’m working on.
1 – When I perform a new piece of music, culpability for my mistakes rests with the composer unless there is strong compelling evidence otherwise. A highway with well-designed signage and a smart physical layout makes it easy for travelers to get from A to B; if you have a clear idea of where you need to go and have ample advance warning along with the physical space to do so, then the civil engineers have done their job. Composers need to think about how they notate their ideas in a much more critical fashion than they currently do. Performance notation should give performers the best possible chance of creating the sounds a composer wants – this is distinct from compositional notation, which should be more about illustrating the ideas of the composer. Put it this way – if I’m adding extra lanes to a highway, a topographical survey is nice to have, but if I’m navigating the highway, do I really need kilometrage to two decimal places?
2 – I’m astonished by performers who complain about small score errors or lack of dynamics. As I play through Haydn’s piano trios, I laugh at the suppositions and errors that are fixed and forgiven. I also don’t hear the same standards of notational rigour applied to, say, Johnny Bach. 18th and 19th century performance practice is so ingrained in our training that we don’t think twice about these things. Couldn’t we at least extend a similar courtesy to the composers who represent us?
Do these ideas seem contradictory?
What we really need is an easy UI for performers to use to be able to modify scores quickly. An erase function, rebarring, changing staves, notes, whatev.
Maybe performers need to learn notation software?
G
1 – wow. i’m so glad i’m not the only one that thinks this. you are completely point on. What I’ve noticed is this: most of the time composers who are also performers are the ones who have the best scores. They have cleaned it up, thought about layout, thought about how it would be read…for me…..i can learn a piece a music much much quicker if the composer put in the time to think about how the performer would interpret the notation.
2 – personally not so picky about dynamic markings or articulation. As you said, there are none in our beloved J.S.B. and many others. Though isn’t it because during this time the performers are the composers of the music….? I’m sure there’s some co-relation but please correct me and enlighten me…!
3 – why are we all procrastinators?
@vcpianos
Let’s get serious here. You’re not a procrastinator – you just like to pretend. You’re way too on it.
When you’re ready to join our club of layabouts, let us know. Or whenev.