James Mathes
Florida State University
A recurrent problem in clarifying the relationship between analysis and performance isthe difficulty in establishing a correspondence between an analytic observation and a performance decision. The problem is related to the prevalent tendency to treat analysis as an independent activity that may inform performance decisions, a tendency that circumvents the interaction of analysis and performance. This paper examines this problem and explores the value of evaluating and comparing recorded performances as a means of clarifying the relation between analysis and performance. Select musical excerpts from works by Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin are examined, drawing on recordings, the literature on analysis and performance, and comments by performers. The discussion of the various works focuses on how the interaction of analysis and performance may be amplified by considering how different performance decisions project different analyses of the music.
Though criteria for performance decisions cannot be unequivocally determined from recorded performances, the process of evaluating a performance stimulates analytic discussion through direct connection with the music as sound. The analysis of performances is a strong pedagogical tool that encourages critical listening, develops skill in making analytic choices from viable alternatives, and promotes analysis as a tool for problem solving rather than an independent activity. It also emphasizes the importance to performers of the style, genre, and surface details of the music, aspects that are often undervalued in many analytic methodologies.