The connection between composition and performance is part of what music is. In English the word ‘music’ can mean both the musical score and the sound product, but as states the Philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff in his Works and World of Arts book[i], “to be composed” and “to be performed” are complimentary predicaments of the ontology of music. However, even if a same piece can receive different performances, cases as du Pré connection with Elgar’s Concerto make us thinking whether could be a final performance – the consummation of the expressive potential of a piece of music.
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In legend, Saint Sylvester is the saint who converted emperor Constantine, and he is celebrated on the last day of the year by western churches (eastern churches celebrate him on the 2nd of January). Typical celebrations for this feast feature a Watchnight service or midnight mass. While I get the idea that this feast is quite celebratory, again, there is little music to be found to celebrate this by art music composers. However, I found this excellent Irish early music singer named Caitriona O’Leary who has a carol whose subject matter is Saint Sylvester (she also has one on the feast day of St Stephen, too).
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This Christmas season marks our second advent in a post-COVID world. For many Canadian musicians, the road back to normalcy has been much slower than our American counterparts; we persevered through a second lockdown and our concert halls currently are only just being filled with live patrons at heavy capacity limits instead of virtual ones.
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In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1). And that the world was made through the Word. And that nothing exists but that the Word created it. Therefore, the Word was an Artist.
We differ from the Word in many respects, but, for our purposes, it is to be noted that we are provided Material: we do not create it. The Material is given that we may create, and that we may create according to the inspiration that is given us by the Word.
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