There are several musicians who blog frequently about their performances, repertoire, pet peeves, and anything under the sun when it comes to music. I recently read a response to blogs on an Australian website about music (albeit an old article) - https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/october/1380549600/anna-goldsworthy/musicians-literary-bent The author discusses if musicians should be writing, and really, there is no good answer to this. Throughout history, though, numerous musicians (composers and performers alike) have been great authors. Robert Schumann is a particularly famous example, and his efforts have unearthed many other composers that we might never know today. In Schumann, his purpose in writing is an informative and slightly elitist one. He kept his fans and the public up to date with compositions and musicians in the area and abroad, and comments on "good" music. In the 21st century, what is the purpose of writing about music? In my musicology courses, we write about music the same way Schumann did. We comment. We pick out the composers and pieces we like. We seek out otherwise unknown musicians. And when we write about "old" music, we offer a new angle of looking at music. We discuss. We invoke emotions. As a musician, I read to be informed. I read to keep up with current affairs in my field. And then, as an educator, I inform my students. And as I write, I want to continue to inform. As I work out a frequent blogging schedule, keep a look out on a series of blog posts about Beethoven. (I know, not my usual topic.) I am embarking on a Beethoven project that will take perhaps a few years to complete. There is plenty to learn about and from Beethoven, and what better way to keep myself informed and to keep all my information organized?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2022
Categories |