Musical listening, in all its forms, evokes a multitude of reactions and thoughts. Whether it's an audition, meeting a new student, an exam, or simply a moment of personal listening, music is perceived by us in unique and complex ways. Comparisons, memories, images, instinctive categorisations, expectations, and even prejudices intertwine, guided by a wealth of accumulated experiences that define our listening maturity.
However, a professional analytical listening, aimed at the formation of a complete musician, is based on the rational evaluation of these four fundamental parameters, regardless of the performer's level of experience, whether they are a young student, a beginner, an advanced student, or an established artist:
- Sound Quality
- Tempo
- Dynamic
- Articulation
In a timely, almost instinctive way, attentive and rational listening focuses on the musical material, like a doctor using a stethoscope to detect a patient's vital signs. Similarly, the experienced listener identifies and analyzes the key factors that constitute musical performance.
These four parameters, like the primary colours of a palette, constantly intertwine and interact, creating an infinite range of sonic combinations. Every interpretative nuance, every expressive detail, every decision made in the act of interpretative execution of a composition, is rooted in this complex interaction.
It might seem like an oversimplification, especially when talking about great musical masterpieces. Yet, even in the most sublime interpretations, these four pillars remain the foundation of the performance.
But there's one element that transcends mere technical mastery:
Musical imagination. That is, the contrast between consciousness and unpredictability, awareness and elusiveness, will and fleetingness, that is, the decisive relationship of a concept transformed into sound in the movement of the performance time, called musical imagination.
It is the imagination that transforms a musical concept into sound, that breathes life into the score, that makes each interpretation unique. This is where the crucial role of critical listening comes in, whether by the teacher guiding the student, the critic analysing the performance, or the musician himself listening in order to grow.
Because it would be disappointing to think that musical thought is exhausted in the accessory regulation of simple parameters, with the exercise aimed at their ordinary mastery, guided by methodical and repetitive teaching.
The aim of musical education is not limited to the development and mere regulation of these parameters during the course of study, but to stimulate the imagination, cultivate sensitivity, and develop a unique artistic voice. It's not just about "how to do it," but about "what to communicate" and the "why of that choice" through music.
In conclusion, the four fundamental parameters - sound quality, tempo, dynamic, and articulation - constitute the fundamentals of technical mastery in musical performance. But it is the imagination, guided by critical and conscious listening, that transforms these elements into a journey of identification with the work, the style, the form, and a mature representation of its humanistic content.
S.Severini