Editorial: The Virtues of Analysis — Vladimir Morosan
What differentiates an extraordinary musical performance from one that is mediocre or “insensitive”? The first mysteriously and ineffably penetrates through the hearer’s ear and mind, into the heart, to the very core of one’s being. The other, even if it doesn’t overtly offend by being sloppy, out of synch, or out of tune, leaves one unresponsive and unmoved. It simply “goes through the motions.”
In our present line of inquiry, it matters not whether the “performance” is in church in the context of a Divine Service or in a secular setting such as a concert hall—or, indeed, if it’s a recording. The genres and the intent of the music may be vastly different, but the degree and the substance of excellence that engages or fails to engage the listener is the topic at hand. How does that excellence manifest itself? How is it achieved?
These are questions that occupy (or certainly ought to occupy) the mind of every musician who undertakes to publicly perform a piece of music—any piece of music, whether it is a simple church hymn in one of the Eight Tones or a symphony. The “burden of excellence” is especially relevant to those in the position of preparing, interpreting, and leading others in performance: church choirmasters and other conductors. They must first internalize an awareness and understanding of the various components of a piece, and then convey that to the singers or instrumentalists they are leading—“directing” or “conducting”—so that the results reach and move the listener.
This prelude, as it were, brings me to the central thesis of this editorial: the importance and virtue of analysis—a topic that is touched upon in several articles in this issue of Orthodox Church Music. It is, however, a topic that, sadly, a great many church musicians have never had the occasion to consider. They may know the order of service; they may know how to give the starting pitch; they may know how to give a downbeat and a cutoff. But the musical content—the shape, nuance, and phrase structure of the music that follows that downbeat, or the emotional meaning and expressive impact of the music coupled with the sacred text—oftentimes escapes their attention. Indeed, they may have never been taught what those elements are or how to manage them. <…>
