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Musicians as Executants of the Score

Appreciation of musical form, shape, and rhythm is a purely intellectual act. Technical ability merely signifies the ability to communicate to others that which we musically see. The power of communicating such perception is limited by our capacity as executants. [1] The emotional effect of music on the other hand mostly depends upon the use of tone coloring. Feeling can only be expressed when tone coloring is employed to express these shapes. Time coloring is the rubato. [2] By coloring we mean contrast of tone quality. The range of coloring is the range of contrast in tone kind. A great artist has a wider range of tone shadings.
  • Technical ability resolves into two distinct accomplishments.
    1. Artistic-Judgment pianistically which includes pulsational-judgment.
    2. Mastery over the art of tone production
  • Artistic judgment implies knowledge of the whole range of instrumental effects.
  • Select precisely these instrumental effects that will most fully convey to the hearer the musical emotions and shape.
  • Pulsational training is one that will enable us to vividly recognize a regular succession of small time distances.
  • The pulsational training will enable us to accurately judge the time place for every note.
  • The larger pulsations of rhythms are built up from the combinations of bass and even phrases.
  • Pulsational training will enable us to watch time pulse as a living fact.

    • Pulsational Training

    Pulsational-training does not form special training for any particular instrument.
    Pulsational-training is needed for every kind of musical performance. It is a training that will enable us to vividly recognize the time-place in a regular succession of time-distances, such as covered by bars and their divisions. This will enable us accurately to judge the time-place for every note filling up such comparatively gross time-lapses and will enable us also to realize those larger pulsations of rhythm built up from the combinations of bars and even phrases.
    Pulsational-training will enable us to watch time-pulse as a living fact, when we have started some particular swing in our mind. This enables us to maintain the pulse vividly before us, while we proceed to perform.

    It will enable us to recognize and reassert such recurrences of time-division, even when we choose to deviate from their straight path. The higher exhibition of pulse and rhythm is implied in the rubato. The concept of rubato will be discussed in the following page.
    [1]executant: a). a person who carries something into effect. For example "executants of the publisher's will" is a person who performs music or makes a work of art or craft.
    b). adjective: executant of or relating to the performance of music or the making of works of art or craft.
    [2] rubato: The temporary disregarding of strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening or slackening, usually without altering the overall pace.