As the final speaker at the STOMPS 2002 conference, I wish
to approach performance from the opposite direction. Instead
of asking: “What is a musical performance?” I ask “What
is a musical performance?” That is to say, I am not talking
about what makes a performance musical (certainly a deep
question); rather, I’m talking about what makes a performance
at all. I focus here on the aesthetics of performance,
not the aesthetics of music.
We have studied traditional performance practice by
applying tools (computers) to aid us in the analysis of music
performed by traditional means. But what happens when
computers and modern technology are used in the live performance
of music? Suddenly, we are confronted with a new
problem: Can the observer/audience understand the performance
from a direct, physical standpoint? And does it matter
if they can or cannot?
No matter what the culture, there is a relationship between
performer and audience. This relationship is based on many
factors, most significantly on trust, and also on the audience
understanding what the performer is doing on stage. Typically,
the performer is doing something that the audience
cannot do themselves; there are of course numerous reasons
that people go to concerts, but this is one of the most important
and universal reasons. We can listen to recordings, but
of course it is not the same thing as going to a live concert.
Ironically, with technology, some “performances” have
become as dull as pressing “play” on a CD player (or the
equivalent button in Pro Tools or iTunes).