Control over the Instrument-Specific Sound
Bondage of the Musician
The Conventional Means for Gaining Control over the Instrument
The System of New Musical Orders
True Musical Education
Freedom of the Musician
As
stated earlier, the composer originally does not bind himself to an instrument-specific
tone but rather thinks,
"How can the music I have heard within be produced outside?"
With
regard to the instrument, the conventional practice of playing and performing
follows the path of least resistance
of the instrument, but it does not win the deep trust of the listener.
This is why, during the last centuries, musical forms were changed rapidly. Through ever new musical orders the composers wanted to inspire the performers to seize control a natural mastery over their instruments and thus hoped to free them from the dust of lifelessness.
The fact that Wagner's orchestra, for instance, sounds different from Beethoven's orchestra even if their respective music is played by the very same orchestra, is simply the expression of the composer's incessant strive to encourage the musician's mastery over his instrument; for, someone who does not master his instrument with his mind may well produce sounds but not living music. And someone who does not truly want to master his instrument is not fit for a musician a fact which is confirmed by many instrumentalists who retire early from practical musical activity and become music "educators" or conductors.
Successful musical education, however, is based on personal example.