On May 6, 2007, at 7:44 PM, John Howell wrote:
When it's a question of ensemble stylization, perhaps we do disagree. If there's one principle I think most on this list agree on, it's that unless an aleatoric approach is part of the concept, the notation should be as exact and unambiguous as possible.
But you can't mean that literally. it's always possible to make your score even more precise. You can give an exact metronome mark for every change of tempo, including every ritard. You can litter the score with dynamic markings, at the top and bottom of every hairpin. You can spell out every lyric phonetically in order to insist on the desired regional accent. You could pursue this as far as you like, even well into the realm of the absurd, specifying the required size of the hall, attire of the performers, or whatnot.
I'm not arguing for sloppy ambiguity, but specificity in the score yields diminishing returns and there comes a point where it is no longer helpful. That point may not be the same for all of us, and on that point I think you and I probably do differ, but I think that difference is one of degree.
And I still don't understand why you would have one philosophy for solo music and another for ensemble.
mdl _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
