In search of the heroic?

Question

Murray Perahia in 1994, mulling over career decisions he had made, in search for something 'bigger', in search of an 'heroic' style, concluded ruefully that he had consequently made the mistake of thinking that it could be gained through 'being louder'. I recognise myself as having committed that fallacy at some point in the past too. Is this a purely pianistic affliction, or are we musicians all heir to this particular 'sin of the musical flesh' at some point in our development?

My own affliction, aged 17-25, turned to ashes in a Damascene moment when I realised that I had been avoiding Mozart from fear, rather than the 'artistic choice'I had preferred to make myself believe. I was very struck by Glinzek' observation how whole chunks of repertoire can be discarded when this drama/heroic myopia rages. (There is a hardnosed technical issue: by about 20 years of age, tiro pianists need to have solved the thorny problem of 'very fast, very loud, for very long' before it becomes a crippling obstacle itself.)

I'm really glad that Bearcat's opened up the field very much more broadly. When an opera répétiteur a while, I observed a comparable pre-occupation among singers, where light lyric sopranos sought to whip themselves into Brunhildean clangour, or nymphs-and-shepherd tenors almost inflicted hernias on themselves seeking out Heldentenor braying power. The sting in Bearcat's and Toutvas' observations is whether or to what degree these delusions are self-inflicted or induced by those guiding the young and malleable artist-still-forming?

Forgive me Toutvas, but your 2 lines starting with "His violin" from 'Ad#3' read quite surreally, until it dawned on me I was reading 'the wrong kind of pianos'.. It's tempting gradually to start treating 'being loud' as only a matter of dynamics: taking my lead from Perahia, I always meant 'overblown'and 'disproportionate'as much as just 'loud'. Among Lynn's wonderfully wideranging survey, I was suddenly struck by something there, that really hadn't occurred to me before: could much of what we've identified here also have 'an uncontrollable urge to be heard' in the metaphorical sense, rather than merely an accoustical one, at its root? Is the physically overblown, histrionic performance of youth sometimes the only way, at that age, we feel able to make any impact at all, not yet having the full armoury of skill and experience to hand with which to do it artistically proportionately?

Answer 1

You know I think this is just typical of human nature especially during the early to mid stages, hopefully , of maturing musically. And it is certainly not exclusive to pianists. The wind player is always looking for that extra bit of technique and extension of their range, and then searching for that piece of music that allows them to "show-off" their newly acquired instrumental prowess. It also always seems to be in the direction of higher, louder and faster, but never toward the subtler aspects of our craft. Quiet control is not as exciting! I guess it is a case of "if a little is good then a lot more has to be better."

And I think composers and conductors can be afflicted with this same condition , but that is another area to explore.

EDIT TO MUSE ABOUT: How much did our professors, peers and experiences at the university or conservatory influence this mind-set?

EDIT 2: In reply to toutvas' comment on band conductors - Having directed band, orchestra and choir, it is true that sometimes restraint can suffer when you have all that power at your command. That's when programming becomes important - giving the ensemble an opportunity to experience pieces that require control and finesse along with the power ones. It has been my experience that the ensemble comes away with much more musically from the pieces that require the most control. The teachers and directors, who so influence the perceptions of the maturing musician, need to see that those in their charge experience both. To use a movie quote - "With great power comes great responsibility."

Musician, composer, teacher.

Answer 2

Since the answerers above me addressed this question wonderfully, I will not waste anyones time simply repeating their points:-) Instead, I will try to impart "thoughts" that have yet to be mentioned. While I am sure all musicians, or for that matter, all artists, have at one time or another fallen prey to this affliction, it is worth pointing out that this is a problem that befalls the young - even the most talented of them. It is no surprise that we see so many young virtuosos playing Liszt, Chopin, Scriabin etc., that is somewhat more forgiving than say Bach or Mozart, when it comes to "overdoing" it. Like with anything, too much of a good thing is not good. If you play everything to loud or fast...where do you go from there. While I am not knowledgeable enough in the nature of instruments other than the piano, I'm willing to guess and say that this affliction is more prevalent in pianists, than others. However, this may not be a testament to the pianists as much as it is to the instrument. So, all my fellow pianists, do not feel bad. On a personal note, I do tend to find myself stray into "heroic mode", when performing for others, as opposed to when I play in solitude. Lastly, I do not think this is an affliction that can be completely overcome...even with maturity, rather, it is a constant battle every musician must deal with. Hopefully, as one grows older and wiser, they are able to contain this beast!
steve

Answer 3

I believe every instrument and voice goes thru that phase of "louder is better" ... the real question does it become a problem when you get there....for pianist who don't have the opportunity to play with other players it seems to arrive much later in their development just when the most is expected of them and most people assume that they had already learned that lesson ..... the small ensemble would be the musical answer ...wind, brass and string players all play in at least a band or orchestra and if their conductors are truly musical (band conductors have a tendency towards louder is better) the ensemble becomes the instrument and balance becomes a priority for the player same with choruses .....

if caught young enough this question would make little sense since the answer becomes ingrained in the musical psyche

ADDENDUM #1 we as teachers do we not encourage the "play out" syndrome hoping we can temper it once they get some volume

ADDENDUM #2 I am not sure about anyone else but I can point to one person (at least the first one who got me thinking) who taught me musicality and restraint and musical integrity. As teachers are we not failing our students in some way by not teaching them how to listen?

ADDENDUM #3 As a string player, I think we have the advantage on this question. My louder is better period lasted less than a year at the age of 14. I only recall one other string player who had that syndrome (a student I coach in an ensemble) his ended 2 years ago at age 10! His violin teacher couldn't get him to play any pianos. I would be jumping up for fortes and down to the floor for pianos ...it worked ....Now he demands dynamics of his fellow quartet members

ADDENDUM #4 as Lynn points out singers' instrument is constantly changing and adaptions have to be made for that a wise man (Gigli) once told Mirella Freni do not let any opera company decide what you sing ... sing what is right for you .... and look how long her career lasted and she admits to being talked into wrong projects a few times

PRAY/CHANT/SEND GOOD VIBES to me for the Mom of the previously mentioned violin student warned me ... he's grown about 4 inches over the summer and developed that teenage attitude along with a great deal of technique and expression over the summer (he had lots of attitude before brilliant kids do that)

Answer 4

You probably don't remember, but back in your youth did you not go through a phase where louder was some how better? I am lead to believe that this fairly common to pianists, who on attaining a level of competency, go through this "stage." I am not aware of any other group expiriencing this phenomenon. Few other instruments have the power available to feed such a difficulty. Personally, I'm yet to reach the stage where that is an issue.
I doubt whether harpsichordists run into this at any point.
I don't have to tell you that the world of the concert pianist is one which is so competitive that every great or potentially great pianist is constant searching for something in their play (or stage persona) that will make them standout from the crowd. Gavrilov went through the very thing that you describe, received a great deal of criticism, but is still rated as one of the great pianists of the century.

Answer 5

I think bearcat has it about right. It is human nature.

And the type of introspection you seem to be discussing produces some amazing results.

For example, the best piano recital I ever heard was Alfred Brendel (sp?) playing late Schubert sonatas at the old Dorthy Chandler in LA.

The gigantic piano glistened in the stage lights.

Mr. Brendel walked on stage. All eyes were on him.

He sat down and began to play. As he did a strange thing happened. The piano became harder and harder to see until it completely disappeared. Then Mr. Brendel too, faded from sight. Then the hall evaporated and all the people in it vanished.

And I was left completely alone... with Schubert.

Answer 6

For me it wasn't the Heroic so much as the dramatic. I seached for pieces that could be played dramatically, from the subtle drama of Chopin's Mazurkas to the obvious dramatic gestures of Beethoven and Brahms, Debussy, Chopin......

The problem when I was younger, and even now to an extent, was how I tended to distort the music, a la Horowitz, in the name of drama -- not just dynamics, but tempi, overly indulgent agogic accents, and so on. The other problem it caused me is even more regrettable. I ignored pieces that I felt I could not wring drama out of, leading me to totally miss out on Mozart, Bach and Scarlatti, f'rinstance, until it was almst too late.

So I think that trying to develop a "heroic" style, whatever that may be, would create similar problems of misinterpretation, selection of repertoire, and in general making ugly and nonsensical music.

Yes, I think such things are indemic to pianists -- we are a pretty egotistical lot, and are always looking for a way to make our mark -- since we play an insturment that can do practically anything musically. Absolute power corrupts absolutely :-D.

.

Answer 7

we singers do it, too. Our beginning phases, mostly in the teens, are crammed with technical confusion, since we are surmounting a double barrier: still finding out who and what we are as humans, let alone as musical instruments.
By the time we hit university or conservatory ( or the equivalent) we have had 4-7 years of choral experience, oftentimes with people who don't know much about 1) the teenage voice; 2) the teenage mindset; 3) reasonable good vocal production. Pace teachers- in my day, none of my choral conductors knew how to adequately describe "breath support" to a chorus of 80 kids. Sure, there were others ( my sisters, in a different school system, had marvelous instruction) who knew, but they seemed the exception rather than the rule.
Entering university, and thrown in with collegiate singers, one finds the bar already raised. We try and cover our immediate inadequacy by turning up the volume. Through the 4 years of instruction, one gradually learns that louder is not better, and often damaging.
Of course, we here all know that the diploma means that one is finished with that school, not with learning, and so we carry on with our instruction afterwards. My singing teacher at university told me point blank that "once I got a job, I'd finally learn how to sing" I didn't understand her at that time ( as with many other gems, it took time to learn them) but she was absolutely right!
The comment about the lighter voices whipping themselves into a frenzy was quite accurate- when you are confronted ,as a singer, with a real orchestra, and not just student forces, the uncontrollable urge to be heard takes over once again. Learning to trust your technique, and getting used to the acoustics of the hall will settle that issue, as will the goodwill of the man with the baton. Sorry, but conductors are only human. If they take a dislike to a singer, they may conceivably forget to hush the orchestra down.
For some singers, the issue raises its ugly head again in the mid to late 30s. If one is going to have a dramatic or even Wagnerian voice, it starts showing up here. the question is how far to trust it? A lady of my recent acquaintance ( she sang Ortrud with us in our production of Lohengrin last season) related that she started singing the heavier Italian repertory at that time. Now, just over 40, she feels ready to tackle "the big stuff". While still in her late 30s, she turned down offers to sing the "lighter" Wagnerians, simply because she felt she wasn't ready for it. What a wonderfully clear head, and sound judgment.
(Keep your ears open to Stockholm Opera this year, you'll hear of her)
Is it a sin of our youth? Or is it just the desire to participate in something we believe in? Many of my colleagues, whether in chorus or orchestra, become disenchanted with the system over the years, and stop producing with the same enthusiasm they showed in their youth. Some retain their freshness of perspective, damn the management anyways, and keep up with their performance standards.
But I guess that this is the on-going continuation of the question. Now that we have covered "sins of youth", what about the ones of middle age and close-to-retirement?