Inspired Accidents - Spontaneous Invention in Musical Performance (Master Teacher Column)

Abstract

Even when conventionally appropriate phrasing and shaping are heard in a musical rendition, intangibles can seem missing. To distinguish not just between "the musical" and "the unmusical" but also between "the musical" and "the ultramusical" and to inquire why these magical elements - these uncanny "X-factors" - re present or absent in a performance seem among the most burning questions of music study and theoretical training. To assist my investigation, I have constructed a "Communication Chain for Musical Performance."