florida state university college of music performance practice

final product because, in his opinion, the editors mistook it for inaccurate playing. 15
However, live recordings are not immune to minor degrees of editing to remove lapses of
non-performance or “dead” time and events like noise in a particular performance. 16
Acknowledging these problems bears witness to the fact that while recordings are not
perfect and ideal evidence of performance intentions, there is not at this time another
reliable or viable substitute. 17
Listening methodology
One of the difficulties for establishing and sanctioning a methodology for listening is
the inevitable reliance on subjective measurement. Conventional practice relies heavily
on human perception and emotion. 18 George Brock Nannestad outlines in a published
presentation that there are objective measurements that are possible to obtain from
recordings. 19 Equipment is available that can establish precise pitch, envelope, tempo and
dynamics. 20 Unfortunately, this equipment, which depending on the quality of the
technology is not without suspect, is unavailable and cost prohibitive for this study.
One of the most objective criteria that is often employed in analyzing recordings is
charting tempo. 21 In Uri Golomb‟s research he attempted to employ a timing program
created by Nicholas Cook; 22 however, Golomb was unable to produce satisfactory results
leaving him to use a traditional metronome. 23 In this study, an attempt will be made to
use Nicholas Cook‟s timing program to ascertain performance‟s strictness or flexibility in
regard to tempo.
Cook 1999; Lowe 2002; and Golomb 2004 caution against the propensity to obsess
and focus on tempo exclusively when largely it only represents one element of
15
Bernard Sherman, Inside Early Music: Conversations with Performers. (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1997), 309.
16
Golomb, “Expression and Meaning in Bach Performance and Reception,” 15.
17
Golomb, “Expression and Meaning in Bach Performance and Reception,” 16.
18
George Brock-Nannestad, “Using Recordings for Documenting Performance.”
(paper presented at the Third Symposium of the Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music
CHARM April 20-22, 2006: Day two). http://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk (accessed June 30, 2007), 3.
19
George Brock-Nannestad, “Using Recordings for Documenting Performance,” 10.
20
Ibid.
21
Uri Golomb (2004) uses the terminology “tempo mapping.”
22
Nicholas Cook‟s timing program may be found by accessing the following website:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~musicbox/charm5.html
23
Golomb, “Expression and Meaning in Bach Performance and Reception,” 31-32.
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