Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
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BY ALFRED SCHTZ
m
To make this web of social relationshipscalled musical culture
clearer,let us imagine a lonely performerof a piece of music
sittingat his piano beforethe scoreof a sonataby a minormaster
of the nineteenthcenturywhich,we assume,is entirelyunknown
to him. Furthermore, we assumethatour piano playeris equally
proficient as a technician and sightreaderand thatconsequently
no mechanicalor otherexternalobstacle will hinder the fluxof
his performance.
Yet, having hardlymade these two assumptions,we hesitate.
Are theyindeedcompatiblewitheach other? Can we reallymain-
tain thatthe sonata in question is entirelyunknownto our per-
former? He could not be an accomplishedtechnicianand sight
readerwithouthavingattaineda certainlevel of musical culture
enablinghim to read offhanda piece of musicof the typeof that
beforehim. Consequently,although this particularsonata and
perhapsall the otherworksof thisparticularcomposermightbe
unknownto him,he will nevertheless have a well-foundedknowl-
edge of the type of musical form called ' 'sonata within the
meaningofnineteenthcenturypiano music,"of thetypeof themes
and harmoniesused in such compositionsof that period, of the
expressionalcontentshe may expect to find in them- in sum,
of the typical' 'style"in which music of this kind is writtenand
in whichit has to be executed. Even beforestartingto play or
to read the firstchordour musicianis referredto a more or less
clearlyorganized,more or less coherent,more or less distinctset
of his previousexperiences,which constitutein their totalitya
kindof preknowledgeof the piece of musicat hand. To be sure,
thispreknowledge refersmerelyto thetypeto whichthisindividual
piece of music belongs and not to its particular and unique
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