Hurdy Gurdy Hummel

Alas, here we stand, at a crossroads. Do we choose the filet or should we just grab a burger in the car on the way home from the new Vin Diesel flick? Hugo Boss or Target? Chanel or the Britney Spears fragrance? I suppose it comes down to a matter of taste (or wallet size), but nonetheless, you can imagine this juxtaposition when I compare Beethoven and Hummel, or so I thought.

I liked the idea of Hummel being compared to a "monotonous hurdy gurdy", as many Beethovenites [Wow that's actually a word, my spellcheck didn't even hestitate, Hummel on the other hand...] once refered (pg 69). From what little I knew about him, it certainly seemed appropriate. But then I read on. And you know what? Perhaps he doesn't deserve that title after all. If Beethoven were a woman in the 21st century, he would be more of Brazillian super model, and Hummel would be the dorky smart girl in the corner. But hey, us dorks need love too!

In all actuality, the Hummel treatise seems to be surprisingly insightlful. One of the most interesting points was that Hummel suggested that beginners have daily supervised instruction for the first YEAR of study. Though that would be completely impractical today, more frequent lessons could be an interesting experiment for people who could afford it, both timewise and financially. Many of his strict rules for instruction reflect a very devoted teacher, who would of course, cultivate very great pianists. This process, would surely leave little time for his own musical endeavors, but we must remember that he was much more of a pedagog than a performer or composer, probably why he gets the short end of the stick in the history books.

" It is usual, and very properly so, to discriminate between a correct and a beautiful performance." (pg 75). While Hummel offers ideas to help cultivate a more musical, soulful performance, he seems to believe that teaching this practice is impossible. Though I agree to a certain extent, I think it would be fascinating to try and come up with ways to teach someone to open up their heart in front of other people.

"What relates to beauty and taste in performance will be best cultivated, and perhaps ultimately most easily obtained by hearing music finely performed, and by listening to highly distinguished musicians, particularly singers gifted with great powers of expression. Indeed, among those muscians and composers who in their youth have recieved instructions in singing, there will generally be found more pure, correct, and critical musical feeling, than amont such as have only a general and extrinsic idea of melody and good singing. " (Pg 76)

Again, I will reiterate my position on the importance of the study of other musical aspects, more specifically in this point on singing. Without hiding behind an instrument, we are placed in a very vulnerable place, using our body for an instrument. Though there are always mechanisms we can create for ourselves, this still puts us in a place where we are forced to open up at least slightly more than we might be able to behind the piano. I can play through my entire Chopin Scherzo without taking a deep, full breath the entire time(though I would argue it's much better when I do). There is no way you can sing an aria without constant, consistant relaxed breath, which is usually created through a relaxed, breathing body. This study of singing, I would argue, could not only enhance the ability to create natural, vulnerable performance, but would also enhance the ability to coutour melodic lines. Way to go Hummel.