Music For Music's Sake

Today at work I had a thought, if music is considered a fine art, then are all musicians artists? Sometimes I feel like I'm not really an artist but an interpreter of music. I think that the glory should go more to the composer than to the man or woman playing the work. Sure sometimes it takes great skill, speed, and accuracy to interpret a piece of music. But other times it's more or less the ability of the musician to just get their head out of their ass and play the notes on the page.

I understand that sometimes we "feel" a certain way by a passage in a sonata, or the lyrics chosen for us to sing are "moving", but should we really be putting our own emotion into music? Should it really be all about how we are truly magnificent performers and less about the music itself. The idea of Music for Music's sake is an interesting one. Music is there simply because it has to be, it is a form of expression. It is also a rhythm that keeps life going, and it is a melody that is unique to each individual. But should music be there all on it's own or should we add to it?

I think that we should do our best to interpret the music the way the composer wanted it. I find it so funny sometimes when I'm looking at a piece of music and thinking okay this is how I want this to sound, but then I'm asking myself but is this how Beethoven wanted? Sure we don't really know how he wanted it because he's dead and that would be awkward to ask a great master like Beethoven "Hey these eighth notes, are they supposed to be detached or together?" He would smack us in the face with his awesome-ness and scream some horrible thing in German about why did we bring him back to life to ask a stupid question like that, cause he wrote a slur for a reason.

Interpreters of great masters, that's a pretty cool title, but I like musician better. Sure I like to add my own emotion into the piece but not at the sake of ruining the way the composer wanted things to be done. It's a tricky business, and people either love what you do or they hate it. Finding the perfect balance is what I strive for, my thoughts and the thoughts of the person responsible for the music.

So go out there and make some great music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ellD1fS4tWA&feature=related