MUS103-1600

Prof: H.Meltzer

12/26/2018

Music expression requires virtuosity

Each piece of musical work was created with the passion and inner feelings of the

composer, the inspirations of each composer takes up parts of the work. Things like inner

feelings inspires one to have a great piece of musical work. In addition, emotions and passions

would raise one piece of work to its peak and lights up the audiences. These elements would take

the music to an enhanced level. However, each emotional musical work must come with

virtuosity, the professional singers and instrumentalists. Besides the deeply emotions the

performer brings to the audiences, it is hard to have a great piece of work on stage if the

performer has not been adequately trained for singing or instruments, the mastering of one’s

piece must come with great skills and virtuosity.

 Moreover, in the book Ways of Listening by Howard Meltzer, “ Johann Friedrich

Uffenbach, Two Entries from his Travel Diary”, “...he appended a fantasia that left me literally

terrorized, because one like it was never played nor ever will be played, since with the fingers he

reached a point just a hair away from the bridge, so close that there was no room for the bow;

and he did this on all four strings, with fugal passages and with incredible speed.” This means

that even though the fantasia Vivaldi was not pleasing to hear for the listeners, however, Vivaldi

demonstrates his extraordinary virtuosity with his inner feeling of pride and confidence to the

audience. Without such virtuosity that Vivaldi has, it will be difficult for listeners to understand

the pieces due to the reason of inappropriate played of pieces.

In addition, In the short story by Langston Hughes, “The Blues I’m Playing.” The

wealthy white patron Mrs. Ellsworth is appreciating the seldom talent that black pianist Oceola

has, and wanted to sublimate her skill and her interpretation of music by supporting her

financially. Langston Hughes wrote, “And all this while Oceola's development at the piano

blossomed into perfection. Her tone became a singing wonder and her interpretations warm and

individual”. This means after a few years of financial support for having the best music teacher,

going to Paris to learn about the music culture, going to the classical music concerts, and the
excellent opportunities for her playing on the stage. All of these financial supports from Mrs.

Ellsworth really helps to sublimate the development of Oceaola’s both instrumental and musical

skill. Without such financial support and developments, Oceaola’s talent will be unappreciated,

will not more impressive and influential as what she is at the end of story. Such virtuosity

Oceaola developed, it helps Oceaola to express her passion of blues and jazz more effectively

than what she was before, it makes her work is a lot easier to understand for the audience.

Overall, the virtuosity of the performer is extremely important, because many people

appreciate in musical performance besides the excitement of more or less inebriant virtuosistic

cascades of sound, the beautiful sound qualities of a musician, the exuberance of the expressive

means employed or the subtleties of an intense cantabile. Any kind of virtuosity is just a way of

understanding performance of a communicational act as a function and as a specific moment.