Musicae Scientiae

Spring 2005, Vol IX, n 1, 183-202

2005 by ESCOM European Society

for the Cognitive Sciences of Music

Book reviews

John Rink (ed.), M usical Performance: A Guide to Understanding.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, 245 pp. ISBN 0 521 78300
3 (hardback) 0 521 78862 5 (paperback)
Just where does one advise students of performance to go to for an introductory
text on the study of performance? Given the growth in academic investigation of
musical performance, whether practice-based or scholarly (or somewhere inbetween), it is surprising how few introductory texts exist within this area. There are
some excellent academic monographs on performance (e.g. Dunsby, 1995) and a
number of broad introductory texts on historical approaches (e.g. Lawson and
Stowell, 1999). Similarly, there are excellent review articles if one wants to engage
with the psychology of performance (see e.g. Palmer, 1997 or Gabrielsson, 1999).
The closest to the book reviewed here is perhaps John Rinks other collection of
essays The Practice of Performance (1995), which drew together a number of approaches to performance which fall into the category of performance studies.
However, much of the literature in the area of performance is highly specialised
and quite daunting to a performer or academic (or someone who crosses these
boundaries) wishing to first dip their toe into this area. The recent publication of
Parncutt and McPhersons The Science and Psychology of Music Performance (2002) provides an entry point for those of a more scientific or educational bent, but it is with
John Rinks present edited book, Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding, that I
have found a text I would be happy to recommend as a more general jumping-off
point. This book collects together possibly the widest range of introductory essays
written by experts on performance that I have seen, and has been edited in such a
way as to welcome the novice without oversimplifying.
The book is organised into four main sections, each comprising four chapters:
the first addresses the context of performance, whether historical, analytical or
psychological. This section begins with a brief overview of the changing circumstances of performance in Western Art Music (Colin Lawson), which provides a
brief historical context for the book as a whole. Some of the writing assumes specialist knowledge of a kind not assumed by any other author in the collection (such
as a rather over-mysterious allusion to Wagners pictorialism) and this strikes against
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Rinks laudable aim of accessibility. However, to its credit, this chapter does engage
with non-occidental musics and music beyond the canon, a rarity in this book.
The focus of this book is the performance of the occidental canon, rather than
performance in a broader sense, an issue I will return to in my conclusions.
Peter Walls chapter on Historical performance and the modern performer
benefits from clear examples, and is well informed and referenced. Rather polemic
in tone, it perhaps states its case a little strongly: Walls identifies a continuum
between reading the notes and taking into account what the less-informed might
consider context, suggesting that, if we ignore the latter, this is as problematic as
ignoring the former. I am not sure that this is a logical argument, or whether I agree
that it is aesthetically warranted, but I welcome Walls clear and well-argued
approach which raises many issues for the modern performer of our arguably
ossified repertoire.
Rinks own chapter Analysis and (or?) performance is to be praised for
articulating the unconscious nature of much analysis. This makes many of the
apologists for (and opponents of) the view that the performer must analyse rather
empty, and rightly so, if they mean that he or she can only perform satisfactorily if
engaged consciously in formal analysis. This chapter is theoretically and empirically
grounded, but simultaneously pragmatic: it represents an excellent example of
applied scholarship.
This first section ends with the first of two contributions by Eric Clarke:
Understanding the psychology of performance. Although there are longer and
more detailed reviews of relevant literature in this area (notably Palmer, 1997;
Gabrielsson, 1999), this is a much more digestible read for the beginner in this area.
The coverage of key research is very good, but this chapter does illustrate one of
the problems with edited books: by the time they are published they are already
looking out of date in places. For example, recent work by Williamon and Davidson
(2002) might now be relevant to the section on ensemble performance and a recent
article by Segalowitz, Cohen, Chan and Prieur (2001) might similarly flesh out the
account of memory in performance. The chapter interestingly (for a psychological
perspective) articulates the need for a rather less dualist conception of mind/body
relationship in performance and the last sentence of the conclusion is a very
powerful and helpful statement of why this might be important:
Musical performance is the construction and articulation of musical meaning, in which
the cerebral, bodily and historical attributes of a performer all converge, and if we choose
to regard this convergence as an expression of the performers mind, then we must
remember that the mind is neither driving the body nor confined within the head (p.
69).

The second section in the book addresses the learning and development of
performance. This section contains much that is psychological but also much that
is historical, musicological or anecdotal. This is to the editors credit, as it is all too
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Book reviews

easy to regard this area as a domain in which either psychological theory and data
are irrelevant to real musicians concerns, or that it is an area in which only the
more objective social sciences have any useful insight. After a lively and historically-informed essay by Janet Ritterman which focuses on and critiques the practice
and development of performance teaching (which does begin to address present
day concerns at the end), the following three chapters integrate evidence from
many disciplines and sources in clear and approachable introductions to
Developing the ability to perform (Jane Davidson), Preparing for performance
(Stefan Reid) and Memorising music (Aaron Williamon). The first of these
(Davidson) is a remarkable synthesis of research on the developing performer,
which I would recommend to both students of music psychology and performance
studies as a starting point.
Reids chapter is an engaging combination of historical, anecdotal and empirical
sources of information on effective practice: this, like Rinks chapter, is again
pragmatic yet scholarly. However, unlike Rink, Reid fails to fully acknowledge the
role that unconscious music analysis plays in performance preparation, focusing
instead on the role of conscious, deliberate analysis in performance preparation. This
might give the impression that an analytically inarticulate performer is necessarily
lacking in the ability to analyse and interpret complex musical structures.
Williamons chapter on memory neatly complements and adds to the material in
Clarkes earlier chapter (although see my comments above about keeping up-todate). I find it odd, however, that for much of this chapter the three categories of
memory attributed to Hughes and Mathay are accepted so uncritically: how helpful
is it to divide memory into aural, visual and kinaesthetic? It would have been
helpful to see whether knowledge about these categories is actually helpful to
performers (or researchers) given the importance of structural encoding of the
music and the difficulty we might have in determining whether a musician is using
one or other these memorisation styles at a particular instant. This (as with Reids
chapter) is a small quibble, however. Both are refreshing and well-researched in
equal parts, and like the best writing in this book, manage to connect with both academic and practical concerns.
The third section, entitled disarmingly Making music, begins with a
provocative but extremely persuasive advocacy for silent analytical work in
preparation for performance by Peter Hill (I am not entirely sure why this essay is
in the making music section rather than the preceding one). It engages in a more
personal way with issues raised in earlier chapters (especially Rink, Clarke,
Davidson, Reid and Williamon) in its advocacy for a thinking first approach to
performance, with many pertinent and clear examples. Hills last sentences sum up
his argument concisely:
The problem, as I have argued, is the nature of practice. We have to practise, of course,
but we need to recognise that practice may blunt our creative intelligence and leave us
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locked into habits which, as we become accustomed to our deficiencies, may leave us
unable to hear ourselves as we really are. One solution is to ensure that as much as
possible is learned before we take a work to the instrument. But the main aim of mental
study is to liberate our musicality, to make sure that musical goals not technical constraints come first. The ideal is that music should be driven not by what we can (or
cannot) do, but by what we want and need to do (p. 143).

This position qualifies the blunt realisation that quality and quantity of physical
practice (as noted in Davidsons chapter and elsewhere in the literature) are essential components in the development of instrumental expertise. Hill reminds us that
in order to perform with insight more than hands-on practice may be required!
Davidsons second chapter Communicating with the body in performance is
a readable and comprehensive introduction to some of the ways musicians use their
bodies to consciously or unconsciously signal to their audiences. Davidsons own
pioneering work is reviewed alongside that of others, although, as with many
chapters in this book recent developments in the study of gesture and movement
(her own included) may make this review seem dated rather quickly.
Next, Elaine Goodmans chapter is a long overdue look at ensemble performance. As with all the strongest chapters in this book, a mix of different approaches is taken to the issue (here comprising empirical, theoretical and anecdotal evidence). Goodman uses her own original research as a case study, clearly showing
the intriguing relationship between individuality and cooperation that ensemble
performance seems to involve. One small criticism of this chapter would be that
Goodman chooses to emphasise the primary nature of auditory rather than visual
feedback in ensemble coordination without really spelling out the evidence. I would
certainly agree that this is the case, but hoped for a clearer articulation of this point.
The final chapter in this section is one of many reviews of the literature on
performance anxiety (here entitled The fear of performance). Elizabeth Valentine
has here put together possibly the clearest and most comprehensive review I have
encountered, which complements those of Wilson (1997) and Wilson and Roland
(2002). Again, this is an excellent combination of practical advice and hard
empirical evidence, both balanced in tone and excellently referenced. The final
recommendations should be read by all performers who believe that they have
anxiety problems, and the chapter as whole is easy to absorb yet full of detailed
indications for further reading.
The final four chapters engage with the opposite end of the telescope; whereas
performers are commonly thought of as interpreters, this section seeks to interpret
performers and performances themselves, whether through engaging with listening,
the analysis of recordings, music criticism, or performers own thoughts and
writings. Eric Clarkes second contribution begins this section by outlining the different ways in which we listen to performance. He does well to engage with both
perceptual and socio-historical dimensions here, avoiding the trap of treating these
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Book reviews

as independent factors in our understanding of performance. One important matter

which Clarke engages with is the huge impact of recording technology on the way
in which we listen. Peter Johnsons chapter on The legacy of recordings develops
this angle from an analytical perspective, suggesting how we might address the
recorded history of performance. Although I do not share Johnsons implication
(p. 197) that it is always so easy to recognise performers from their recordings (this
seems to me to be an interesting empirical question) this is an excellent way in
to the analysis of recordings. His use of higher-order regression models to better
capture short-term trends is a useful and interesting solution, and the lengthy
section on Elgar, Menuhin and Hall (pp. 208-209) is a subtle lesson in reading
recorded performances. Johnson seems to be able to combine qualitative and
quantitative approaches in a helpful and satisfying manner it is my hope that this
chapter is read widely by those wishing to work in this area.
Raymond Monelles chapter charts the rise of performance criticism with
plentiful and appropriate examples. He describes a continuum from the position of
Ernest Newman, whose view was that repeat performances of well-known works
gave the critic nothing to do (p. 213), to the current obsession with performance
itself as the subject matter for criticism in a detailed and entertaining manner.
Perhaps this chapter could have more directly engaged with the relationship
between criticism and other forces at play in changing attitudes towards performance (maybe linking in with Colin Lawsons chapter), but this would probably be
out of place in this introductory context. Monelle ends with an interesting aside
which perhaps reveals the accuracy of my playful suspicion that music is more and
more treated as if it were a sport, rather than as an art form: most of us have
learned some useful lessons from sports writers (p. 223)!
The final chapter in the book raises some useful questions about how much
one can (or would want to) generalise about, or proscribe performance styles and
attitudes. Jonathan Dunsby, author of Performing Music: Shared Concerns (1995), presents a balanced and thought-provoking view of the role of the performer in musicmaking, taking as its starting point the thinking of performers themselves. Through
more general discussion and some detailed case studies of Gould, Dieskau and
Schuller, he raises more questions than could be answered in a lifetime of performing or research.
I have no hesitation in recommending this collection to students of performance (however advanced they may be). Before concluding, however, I will spend
the final words of this review addressing some broader issues which this book raises for me. Only where performance and composition are so radically disunited as in
Western Art Music can one conceive of treating them so separately in scholarly
terms. Hence, although it might be inappropriate to criticise this book for failing
to take into sufficient account those ethnic or vernacular musics which do not
share this dislocation, it might have benefited from a chapter which more directly
assesses the ways in which performance is an issue for such musics. Even before
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taking this step, however, there is an area of performance which seems rather overlooked. Within the cultural domain surveyed, there are only a few good pieces
of introductory writing on the practice of improvisation (see e.g. Frand, 1961;
Moore, 1992; parts of Bailey, 1993) and this book might have included a contribution on improvisation (and ornamentation), which would have complemented the
existing contributions, especially as these issues call into direct question the relationships between composer, score, performance practice and performer. Most
student performers in my institution have done little improvisation on arrival in tertiary education unless they have an involvement in jazz, pop or organ playing (this
view is based on informally collected data only, but corresponds with my intuitions),
yet any study of performance practice must (at least) raise and seek to answer questions about whether the notes in a score are to be read more or less veridically. Peter
Walls and Colin Lawson address this issue partly in their chapters (as does Eric
Clarke in his first chapter), but given that more and more performers are attempting to reassess the role improvisation might play in their practice (see e.g. Robert
Levins Mozart performances and Manze and Eggars recent recordings of Corelli)
I find it odd that improvisation is not mentioned more.
Notwithstanding this omission, I believe this to be a major contribution to the
field of performance studies. If we are to encourage student performers to engage
with scholarship (or analysts and psychologists to engage with performance) then it
is books like this which will make this job much easier. Although more detailed
or specialist texts are invaluable, especially given the short shelf-life of such edited
collections, this book not only reviews and summarises existing literature in an
approachable and comprehensive manner, it also raises questions about how we
should study performance, and what it is to perform. This should ensure that whatever insights we gain as time goes by, this book will remain useful1.
Luke Windsor

REFERENCES
Bailey, D. (1993). Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. New York: Da Capo Press.
Dunsby, J. (1995). Performing Music: Shared Concerns. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Frand, E. T. (1961). Improvisation in nine centuries of western music: an anthology with a historical
introduction. Cologne: Arno Volk.
Gabrielsson, A. (1999). The Performance of Music. In D. Deutsch (ed.), The Psychology of Music
(pp. 501-602). New York: Academic Press.
Lawson, C., & Stowell, R. (1999). The Historical Performance of Music: An Introduction. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Moore, R. (1992). The Decline of Improvisation in Western Art Music: An Interpretation of
Change. International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, 23(1), 61-84.
Palmer, C. (1997). Music Performance. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 115-38.
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Book reviews

Parncutt R., & McPherson G. E. (eds) (2002). The Science and Psychology of Music Performance: Creative
Strategies for Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rink, J. (ed.) (1995). The Practice of Performance: Studies in Musical Interpretation. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Segalowitz, N., Cohen, P., Chan, A., & Prieur, T. (2001). Musical Recall Memory: Contributions
of Elaboration and Depth of Processing. Psychology of Music, 29(2),139-48.
Williamon, A., & Davidson, J. W. (2002). Exploring co-performer communication. Music Scienti,
6(1), 53-70.
Wilson, G. D. (1997). Performance Anxiety. In D. J. Hargreaves and A. C. North (eds), The Social
Psychology of Music (pp. 229-45). Oxford University Press.
Wilson, G. D., & Roland, D. (2002). Performance Anxiety. In R. Parncutt and G. E. McPherson (eds),
The Science and Psychology of Music Performance: Creative Strategies for Learning and Teaching
(pp. 47-61). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(1) Address for correspondence

Dr Luke Windsor
School of Music/Interdisciplinary Centre
for Scientific Research in Music
University of Leeds
Leeds, LS2 9JT
UK
e-mail: w.l.windsor@leeds.ac.uk
web: www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~muswlw/wlw.html
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