piano differences

[Wimblees@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-01-31 03:17:14 EST, you write:

>Nowadays, to perform
>some piece publicly, it has to be done exactly the way Watts played it. Or
>Gould. Or
>whoever. I doubt it was that way when Chopin played it. Or Bach. Or Debussy.
>Where did the
>idea of variations on a theme come from, anyway? The thing that is going to
>ultimately
>bury classical music is the sameness of it all. (Well, that and the
>snobbishness of the
>establishment which is well on its way to burying the orchestras that perform
>it.) If it
>isn't played exactly the way some dead composer notated it, the performer may
>well be
>driven off stage by flying rotten tomatoes. 


What is so insteresting in this, is that composers of a hundred years ago, or
more,  probably never heard their music performed the way it is being
performed today, beacuse the instruments of a hundred or 150 years ago weren't
as good as we have today. Not only that, but the orchestra members were not
"professional" musicians. The members of the orchestras of Mozart and Hayden's
days were comprised of stable boys, gardeners, and cooks, who got together to
practice the music a couple of hours before they played it, on instruments
that were not very good. And we all have heard about the deplorable condition
of Beethoven's piano. I beleive that if these "classical" composers could hear
their music performed today, they would not beleive their ears. 

For Classical music to survive, and I do beleive it will survive, it needs to
be exposed to more people. And this is happening through the radio, TV and
with concerts. A representative of the classical music station in St. Louis
told me recently their audience is up almost 50%, namely because the baby
boomers, as they get older, are recognizing that the sounds of the 50', 60'
and 70's just aren't as exciting as it used to be, and they are starting to
listen to more "civilized" music. 

The piano is playing a big part in this. The sameness, as Jim describes, might
be in the  competitions and major performances, but the general public is
recognizing the differences in sound, and picking out the pianos with the
sound that they like. Many customer coming in my store hear the difference
between my Steinway O, and the new Knabe and other Korean made pianos. And in
the long run, it is the general piano playing public to whom we have to pay
attention, because they are what allows us to remian in business, not the
orchestras and festivals which are attended by only a handful of people. 

Just a few of my thoughts on the matter. 

Willem Blees RPT
St. Louis