New York Times article on notation in classical music features CCM faculty

The New York Times recently turned to one of CCM's performing arts experts to weigh in on the topic of what musicologists call "paratext:" words—or even illustrations—that composers sometimes leave alongside their musical notation, which musicians then need to interpret as they try to bring a composer's idea to life.

In her examination of paratext, music critic Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim cites the example of French composer Erik Satie, whose surrealistic directions to musicians would sometimes include performance indications like "light as an egg" and "like a nightingale with a toothache."

According to CCM Associate Professor of Viola and Chamber Music Jan Grüning, who also serves as violist for CCM string quartet-in-residence the Ariel Quartet, these kinds of linguistic cues are meant to inspire a performer's attitude rather than prescribe an exact execution. “The words don’t tell you what to do,” he says to the New York Times. “They tell you how to be.”

Read the full New York Times article here (subscription required).

Featured image at the top: CCM faculty member and Ariel Quartet violist Jan Grüning. Photo/Marco Borggreve