Musical Interpretation - Its Laws and Principles and Their Application in Teaching and Performing

Publisher Marketing: PREFACE FOR many years past I have been urged to put into a permanent and available form my enunciation of those Principles and Laws of Interpretation, knowledge of which has proved to be one of the main causes of the success of the army of teachers who have arisen from my school. The first step towards this end was the preparation, in tile year 1909, of a set of Lectures covering this ground. These I condensed later into a single lecture, and this was first delivered publicly in blanchester to Dr. Carrolls Association of Teachers during the season of 1909-10. Subsequently, it was repeated to the Edinburgh Musical Education Society, to the London IYlusic Teachers Association in 1910 and its Branches it was also given at the Royal Academy of Music in the same year, and at my own School, and elsewhere. A full synopsis also appeared in the Music Student of April, 19 11, and elsewhere. I, nevertheless, still delayed issuing the material in book form, LS I felt, in view of the extreme importance of the matters dealt with, that I would like to expand it, but lack of time has prevented my doing so. As, however, some of our more up-to-date theorists are now doing me the honour to apply, in their recent works, some of the ideas first enunciated in these lectures of mine and in my First Principles, 1905, and Act of Touch, 1903 such, for instance, as the vital one of recognizing in Progression or Movement the actual basis of all Rhythm and Sbape in Music, I feel compelled to issue these lectures now as originally delivered. Additional matter is given in the form of Notes and I leave for later on, perhaps, the issue of a Supplement giving further details and illustrative Examples. It will be found, that while this work deals with the sub- ject mainly from the pianists point of view, nevertheless most of the principles here formulated apply with equal force to all other forms of musical performance. Many of the same laws of Interpretation which apply to Piano- forte playing also hold good whether we are players of stringed instruments or wind instruments, or are vocalists or organ-players or conductors............