MUS639 Week 7.2. Performance Studies Question: Does a performer need to know about a composer’s life and the circumstances in which the piece was written in order to fully understand a piece of music? by Tim Radnor https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl Respond to this question using some of the language devices we looked at in 7.2. en-us 2020-01-19 14:25:12 UTC 2025-12-04 10:17:05 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1891128428 Whilst knowledge of the circumstances in which a musical piece was written can inform a student's interpretation of it, it is not essential for a good performance. A performer also needs to understand their own relationship to their repertoire as well as a modern audience's expectations of it. These experiences can both be used to create an interesting and creative performance without having to know the full history of a musical work.]]> 2021-11-15 12:42:10 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1891128428 https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1891946693 From my perspective, a clear understanding of the composer’s life and the social background at the time, as well as the creative intention behind each piece, is what the performer must do. On the other hand, it can also be argue that after the performer has a certain understanding of the musical work and the background of the composer, performers complete the piece with their own understanding.]]> 2021-11-15 17:41:36 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1891946693 https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1892705647 While understanding the composer's background and the circumstance of the piece that was written can be useful in informing performer the style and emotion of the piece better, it is not crucial in learning or playing the piece. In fact, this might hinder performer's creativity or own perceptive and interpretation of the piece.]]> 2021-11-16 01:09:36 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1892705647 From my own experience, I've never found it an essential component to understanding a piece of music. However this could be a benefit to a classical musician, so it's depending who is answering the question. I would argue that a piece of music can be open to interpretation. It doesn't always need a clear and obvious message for a performer to have a relationship with it. https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1897152102 2021-11-17 15:13:47 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1897152102 As far as I am concerned, performers need to acknowledge some extent of composer's life and their thought about their pieces. On the basis of sufficient respect for the original author, understanding and mastering the composer's intentions and processing guidelines, and then integrating and performing organically with your own ideas, this can be considered a complete work. 1605779174 https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1898141969 2021-11-17 23:20:05 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1898141969 I think performers have to understand the composer's life and the environment in which the work is created in order to play and understand a song better. Because only when the performers go to a deep understanding of the composer, can they know how to better interpret the composer's music, showing the composer's style. Performers also need to understand the composer's creative environment and the composition background of the time, and further experience the purpose and tendency of the song https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1898148355 2021-11-17 23:26:28 UTC https://padlet.com/t_m_radnor/selxkf7surgl/wish/1898148355