Thoughts on Music - A Mind Less Critical, Perhaps

Joseph Kerman's omnivorous, affectionate attitude toward music has a decisive impact on my appreciation of the art. Never one to shy away from critical engagement, Kerman nonetheless conveys an expansive enthusiasm in his writing, always alert for new ways to appreciate more. Consider this discussion of the "period instruments" debate:

"What would you rather hear - a great performance on modern instruments, or a fair-to-middling performance on historical instruments? People in the 'traditional' camp would always trot out this mindless question as an argument-stopper when pros and cons of historical performance were debated. The question was not only mindless but rather offensive. Nobody ever asked whether you would rather hear a great performance on the wrong instrument or a great performance on the right one. The answer to that question, of course, is 'both.'" (Opera and the Morbidity of Music, 135)

His simple response to this debate ignores its bogus terms and cast a wider net, embracing excellence in both styles and moving beyond a merely-theoretical commitment.

When I first encountered this essay it stopped me in my tracks, and I realized that a surplus of criticism is the enemy of enjoyment. I stopped looking for the "best" recording of a piece, and started looking for as many good recordings as I could find. I began to appreciate a greater diversity of compositional styles and aesthetic priorities, and my tastes began to broaden. I was changed for the better, not only with respect to music, but with respect to life.

When I read music criticism and especially concert reviews, I frequently encounter a degree of scrutiny that reflects an injudicious requirement for perfection, and what I can only take to be a perverse delight in cataloging faults. Indeed, entire websites exist devoted to fault-finding in music performance. Such criticism may serve as sport for the critic, but it harms the performer and the audience, and the listener most of all, diverting attention away from the mastery that underlies even small, amateur performances.

I was motivated to this reflection by this review of a recent chamber music recital. Although we were seated in the same room, Mr. Tircuit was at a different concert. The concert I attended was overflowing with beautiful and engaging moments delivered by consummate craftsmen. Some of the issues he describes were present in my mind, but in a corner, a background to the primary experience of appreciation. In his review minor faults swell to dragon size, crowding out the obvious and direct miracle of the music.

Too much music criticism is of this ilk and I think this uncharitable attitude poisons the well. I wonder why many connoisseurs believe that criticism consists in fault-finding. My own commitment is to affirmation of the craft and its artisans, and to beauty where we can find it in this troubled world. My primary experience of performance is one of gratitude.