Comments

Hi Laurie,

Thanks for that! About the Ballade - It's funny that Ysaÿe actually says the exact same thing as Mr. Kantor in the preface page to the sonatas!

Thank you for your expert reporting of this week at Juilliard. I just wish all the master classes were on a video so we could all "be there." Everything Mr. Kantor said to all participants in his class should really have occurred to each student much before he/she showed up for the session. Makes for shorter/fewer Master Classes, of course, but good students --not necessarily good violinists-- should intrinsically show signs of promise way before they show signs of virtuosity. Kind of like "the chicken and the egg" conundrum. Or is it "the egg and the chicken" ............ Georgeous view from a fourteener! Which one is it?

Ihnsouk

It's Mt. Bierstadt, in Colorado, right near Georgetown. Robert and I climbed it with some friends back in '95, on a day just as sunny and clear as the one in the picture. I'll never forget that gorgeous summit. Christian, which edition has that preface, or do all editions have it? I've only got the music for the Ballade, not for all the sonatas. Certainly a student should read what's in the cover, and it's good that Kantor points it out.

But Vincent, do kids (or all students, really) intrinsically know how to interpret a piece of music, written perhaps in a different century, by someone in a different country, in a genre other than the one that surrounds them in their society? I feel that a good teacher gives them guidance on this, and that it's OKAY to give them guidance on interpretation. "You should have known that" is a bit of a cheat in teaching, don't you think? Unless the student is really in bad faith, not doing the things the teacher has requested.

I think V. is just saying it sounds like they had to brush up on some fundamentals there before they could proceed with the master class.

When I first read this blog it occurred to me that SF was illustrating the defining point of jazz, and that a satisfying result comes from attention to detail as you described, or the same kind of attention to detail, -but- absent a composer and sheet music. Incidently I learned the other day that Dave Brubeck couldn't read a note. Even though he graduated from a conservatory. His energy went into hiding the fact he couldn't read, instead of learning to read. Not hearsay. I bought a taped interview and he says it with his own mouth :)

Mr. Kantor is a phenomenal teacher. My teacher was a long time student of his and not a week goes by that I don't hear her utter some of his words of wisdom... that and how often he used to change his strings (once every 2 weeks for awhile if I remember correctly) One of the things I like about reading this series of blogs is comparing the approaches of the master teachers. I like Kantor and Perlman because they ask the student the right questions to find out how the student personally hears or feels the music or to induce the student to find his own interpretation. Thanks, again, Laurie, for giving us this wealth of information. My wife and I climbed a few mountains when we lived in Colorado. I agree with Laurie on breathing up that high. Around 13 to 14 thousand feet it's step, pant, step, pant and wheeze, etc. Add wind, thin air, and headaches. But it's worth it. Beautiful views, meadows with wild flowers, and precious solitude.

Ihnsouk

All hail Paul Kantor!!!