The Musician of Today - His Originality and Sophistication - Essay Example

Composition and Originality Music is that element of a person’s soul which is constantly adjusting to the strains of one’s life experiences. An important part of any individual’s life, music has been used through out history to demonstrate the quality of life, events and portray the emotions attached with the same. It has been seen that most musicians, especially in the modern era, stick to playing classics at their performances. In this regard, the topic of this paper is that the amateurs, professionals and beginners must stick to playing the music of the great musicians, without adding any element of their personal sense of music to the same. Originality, in this respect, is an important word. Originality may be described as a phenomenon that caters to the personal sense of creation that an artist indulges in. This sense of creation is something that is an outcome of the artist’s sense of aesthetics and what he or she feels will have a wide acceptance and appeal in the long run. In this regard, artists generally regard qualities like timelessness and mass appeal in the creation of work that will be demonstrated before people. Originality is an important concept for this paper due to the nature of the topic. Is it possible to remain original by playing classics – that too without adding a touch of your own to a piece of work? The role of originality here is in the creation. A musician may create a classic on his own and it will be called recreation. The important thing is it keeps its basic elements alive so that the originality of the source musician is not compromised. This is the meaning of originality when it comes to playing music. Also, playing it exactly as the master had, will demonstrate that the musician has an ability to recreate the exact magic that the master had. This will speak volumes regarding his or her talent. In this regard, it is important to play the classics that belong to the relevant genre of music. By genre of music, one means that the musician should stick to the genre that defines his or her basic style and ability. This will portray the identity of the musician in the right light. This is owing to the fact that an artist is known by his or her work. It is important for your work to be a personal statement of sorts. (Block 2, p 129) Most people might argue that it is important to render your own elements even when playing classics so as to ensure that there is a demonstration of how a person can improvise. In this regard, the counter argument is that the listener is usually not concerned with the technicalities. It very often happens that a recreation of a certain piece of work is not taken to well in its “improvised” form as there are constant comparisons with the original. This works against the musician in question, therefore making his work ‘a cheap imitation’. This is especially true for an amateur or a beginner as they have to be careful about how they are perceived by the public. For the professional, it is important as well as his or her image must be kept at a certain level. By recreating a certain piece in his or her own style, he or she might draw lifelong negative criticism. (Block 2, P 131) In the professional and amateur’s arena, there is always a middle path. This middle path is taken by the usually confused beginner. In this case, it is always important to play it as it was. This is a problem that is usually encountered by professional musicians in their personal renditions of certain pieces. The basic problem arises as a result of technicalities. It is not always possible to achieve the same technical elements as music by the master may have existed in eras when most technologies were unheard of. The recreation of the natural technicalities used by them is a challenge for most musicians. In this regard, it is important to have an element of timelessness in the ear one has for music. This quality if timelessness helps the musician – whether professional, amateur or a beginner – to redefine the modern techniques according to what he or she perceives as the elements that had been used by the masters in an era gone by. (Block 2, P 132) In various genres of music, it is important to understand the basic feel of the situation for which the music is being created. Through the use of the masters’ music, a musician can make the best of various learning curves that can be crossed through the study of the same. Therefore, it is important to understand the feel of various kinds of situations through a study of the master’s music. This will help the musician come up with a sense of elevated perception. There will be a larger picture which will lead to original forms of ideation. This is depicted in the example of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 – 1957). This musician simply took to the word “King” in the title of the film Kings Row. Despite the fact that the movie was about a small town of nobodies, the music was an immense hit in its capability to simply transport the viewer to a land of hope where the inhabitants of this town would seldom, if ever, visit. (Block 2, P 129) The use of a certain word to create contrasting music is a difficult and dicey thing to achieve. There is a need on the part of the musician to be extremely careful so as to avoid a complete departure from the theme of a scene or the basic feel of the movie or play. A comedy will not be funny anymore if there is a thumping soundtrack attached with it. Yes, doldrums and the sound of a march will complement the element of humor with the sense of mock irony created through the score. In this regard, the music must be consistent, as demonstrated by the masters. This will help the musician come to terms with the basic feel for a situation without compromising on variety and quality of the sound. A certain level of continuity in the flow of the entire movie or play will tie the various acts and scenes together and render a certain wholesome feel to the otherwise random elements of the film or play. (Block 2, P 132) In this regard, the opera is an important medium of study, especially when it comes to use the original pieces as created by the masters. There is little scope in this case to play with different sounds, due to the very elementary dramatic effects that an opera typically creates. This contributes to a sense of continuity. In this case, the musician must keep the original sound track alive when using the master’s work so as to ensure that there are no gaps in sound. (Block 2, P 142) In this context, the gaps in sound come from the inability of most musicians to remember and continue with the original work. When there is no memory of the same, there will be no scope to recreate the same. It is important to keep the piece alive so as to ensure that the gaps in sound in terms of scene by scene renditions gone wrong, can be accurately met, corrected, and avoided. (Block 2, P 144) The creation of the exact piece also leaves the listener with a sense of piece considering the fact that the listener does not have to strain to understand the new techniques being used. Also, there is less pressure on the listener in terms of creating comparisons. This helps the listener enjoy without having to waste time understanding what has been replaced with what and whether or not it sounds the same, bad or better. The beginners have to keep in mind that adopting the exact elements of the masters will help them build a body of work that they can use to define their own skills. For example, the nineteenth century composers like Wagner and Liszt used an augmented triad as the chord that can create an element of tension. Such teachings must not be compromised upon by the amateur and the beginner. (Block 2, P 132) In this case, the professional are found to replicate the exact sounds. They also know that the evolution of music happened at various stages of history. It is difficult to define or invent new chords. This makes it difficult to redefine music. In this way, they have a certain amount of maturity attached to the practice of playing it as it was. This also gives any situation a classical appeal. Most professional musicians rely on factors like lighting and cinematography for the creation of a certain modern effect, if it is needed. Another element that most beginners and amateurs play with is tempo. It has been understood by most professionals and masters alike that the pace of a certain scene will be dictated by the tempo that underscores the background music. Tempo is an important element even in genres like jazz. It is important to understand this in performances as it will lead to balance in the creation. The beginner must pay special importance to tempo instead of playing with it and changing it in his rendition. (Block 2, P 195) The tempo is a classic element in music that defines the spacing of the sound and its grasp on the part of the listener. When the tempo is muddled, there is little chance that the listener will be able to focus on the sound or the scene. The tempo is a crucial element in this regard. The definition of a piece depends on the appropriate tempo that has been attached with it. This has been demonstrated basically in jazz music where the life of a party, a gathering or a movie, is help together by the tempo by a singular instrument at play. (Block 2, P 143) The beginner as well as the amateur must take a cue from the professional by playing the master’s music. This will help in the regeneration of sounds. The playing of masters defines times and lives. This is not especially true of individual and completely original music due to the fact that the basic strains and elements of music had been evolved by the masters. These strains have a way of being redefined and reinvented to speak of styles and times. In this way, the techniques evolved by the masters are truly timeless. These elements must be kept in mind by the professionals, amateurs and beginners alike when playing music. This music might be of a specific genre or musician but it must have the similar elements. The musicians at play here must let the elements speak for themselves if they are really looking for the creation for a certain sound. The sounds of the time will be echoed appropriately in the strains that have been adopted from the music of the masters. This will be done through a crucial understanding of the exact elements that the masters have used. Further, by playing the music of the masters, the musicians of today are in the process of defining a genre. This is an age old practice that has held most musicians in good stead and helped them garner fame for themselves. It is pointless to think that a certain chord will not sound the same in the present times if used. These chords have been studied and practiced by the masters to arrive at certain fool proof conclusions. (Block 2, P 144) In conclusion, it is imperative to say that the evolution of any artistic form’s technicalities start at a certain period and end at a certain period. After that there is nothing but creation. In not listening to the exact sounds of what the masters created and studying what they achieved, the musicians of today will lose out on an entire body of knowledge. This will hamper their growth and development. In order to grow as a musician, it is important to not only understand, but to implement. This will trigger growth through the crossing of new learning curves everyday. By simplifying various sounds created by the masters, musicians today can achieve wonders in their own body of work. For this, it is imperative to stick to the classics for replication of moods that will appropriately complement the sounds created. The models for playing music must be refashioned along old lines so as to achieve timelessness in creativity. (Block 2, P 142) The musician of today – whether a profession, an amateur, or a beginner – can grow through a focus on playing it like it was. This will lend credibility to his or her work and success in the commercial arena. When a musician shows respect for tradition, there is always a positive result attached with the same. This helps in the rediscovery of sounds long lost and will help the musician focus on creation for the listener’s pleasure. Also, it will lead to the creation of new bodies of work. The technicalities can be embedded into any genre without any need for further redefinition. This form of rediscovery will form a true passion for music in the mind of the musician and the heart of the listener. Further, with the advent of times, there is a loss of classic sounds which has taken music lovers away from their music. This needs to corrected through a return to the old times. Also, in today’s fast paced life, it is important to give people music that they will genuinely enjoy. References: 1. From Compositions to Performance: Musicians at Work. (Please add the name of the author, year, book and publication as you did not give me any of these details.) Read More