Lately, we can see more pianists performing pieces from the scores instead of playing by heart. Most of the time these concerts are performances of contemporary music, long pieces, or newly written compositions, but even in the traditional setting of a piano recital this can happen. The question is, does it bother the audience to see that the pianist is using the score, or is it irrelevant?
I think the most important is to convey the meaning of the music to the audience the way the composer intended and according to the pianist’s interpretation. The music, which is played from the heart, well thought-out, music that communicates is the overall goal for the musician, not the fact if it is played from the memory or not.
Realistically, there is so much piano literature out there, that if one wanted to learn it all by heart, it would not be possible. There are pianists who only concentrate on a solo career and have the time to spend on learning the pieces by heart, and even then, they do not learn new repertoire all the time but are slowly adding one or two new pieces every now and then to their programme. On the other hand, there are musicians who also have other music-related jobs like teaching, accompanying, playing in chamber ensembles, and then the amount of time possible to spend on learning new repertoire is quite limited. Therefore, performing with the score handy might be the only possibility to go out there and perform solo repertoire without the fear of forgetting, and while being able to show new pieces to the audience.
Frances Wilson, in her article ‘Memorisation and the “proper” pianist’ from her website The Cross-Eyed Pianist, asks a very valid question: ‘To play or not to play without the score should surely be a personal artistic decision?’ It definitely should!
When you perform with the score, it does not mean you do not know it well on – the contrary. Most of the time, the musician knows the score very well, plays by heart almost all of it, and the score is just there, just in case. It is better that we are able to listen to someone performing musically and beautifully with the score, instead of one who is trying to play everything memorised, but because of that there is so much anxiety in their playing that it is no longer convincing and is simply stressful for the performer and the audience.
Pianist Stephen Hough in his book ‘Rough Ideas’ claims:
I think all the pianists need to learn how to memorise and to play from memory. To go through music college and always use the score seems to me to be missing an essential part of the formation process. Memorising is part of the discipline of learning the music written for it. But I do think there comes a point (and not just in extreme old age) when we should feel free to play with a score without censure or comment. The only guideline should be the quality of the interpretation (p.104–5).
In all my professional life – in music school and music conservatory afterwards –I’ve been taught to memorise my music, and I always followed it. But when the profession, working life started, the sheer amount of music to play on a weekly basis started to be enormous –all the piano accompaniment, ensemble work, which is normally played from scores.
Because of those commitments, my time became limited, and I had to decide, either to focus on the quality of the piece I want to present or spend that time memorising the piece.
Therefore, despite the initial, deeply ingrained in me feeling to play everything from memory, I have decided to be freer and instead play from the score, to be able to perform more solo repertoire. And in the end? It does not matter. Especially nowadays, when we do not need the page-turner and thanks to modern technology, iPad and pedal for changing the pages are so discreet that sometimes they are not even seen.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!