Centre of Musical Partnership

 

 

REFLECTIONS ON PARTNERSHIP

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are witnessing a unique, unprecedented event - the inauguration of the activities of the  Centre of Musical Partnership in  Bydgoszcz. Although  the Centre was conceived on my initiative, but its establishment would be absolutely impossible without the involvement, approval, and charisma  of  Ewa Stąporek-Pośpiech, the headmistress of Artur Rubinstein State Music School.

 

Goals of the Centre:

·        Make the  performers' community aware of the value of ensemble performance, from the very beginning of the musical education.

·        Make the music community aware that not only soloists are artists; ensemble performers are equally worthy of that name.  Everything depends on the approach and the professional level of their performance. 

·        To make the music community aware of the fact that just a tiny percentage or even per mileage of them will have a solo career. All the other ones will be performing in ensembles, in all the possible configurations, and some of them will be teaching.  It is the duty of the educational system to prepare young artists to cope with that reality, both professionally and mentally, which seems particularly important. 

·        Promote the concept of partnership in music.

   

The goal can be achieved by:

·        Meetings/classes/lectures/publications

·        Masterclasses

·        Symposia

·        Conferences

·        Concerts.

 

 

 

Professor Jerzy Marchiński's lecture at the inauguration of the Centre of Musical Partnership in Bydgoszcz, on November 3, 2016.

 

 

I dared to name this event unique and unprecedented, as in my view, the concept of partnership, not only in music, has never been treated as a separate issue yet.  The partnership is usually, and almost exclusively, associated with business and has official and office-related connotations.  However, neither literature, philosophy nor poetry mentions the partnership of a pair or group of people. 

Yet, at least in my view, the partnership is one of the most creative and effective concepts which link human beings - mostly in pairs -  and guarantee successful cooperation and living together.  These concepts are love, friendship and, finally,  partnership.  Love is a feeling; friendship is  an alliance and partnership is wisdom.  Writers, poets, and philosophers had used hectolitres of ink to write about love; friendship received much less attention, while only a small inkwell would suffice for all the ink which was spent on writing in partnership. 

I first became aware of the importance of partnership in music more than half a century ago, while making an archive recording of Schubert's Winterreise. Although my education focused on the concept of accompaniment and accompanist, I realized then that the piano part in that masterpiece had nothing to do with the traditional understanding of accompaniment but was an integral part of the whole. Identically, the left hand in Chopin's Nocturne is by no means an extra, but an organic element of that work. If performed badly, it would degrade the quality of the right-hand part, even when the latter is sung in the most exquisite manner. 

Since then, I have always perceived works for two or more performers as a whole, irrespective of whether created by   Schubert, Brahms, Wolf, or by other, more modestly endowed artists. I have never understood a musical work as a combination of various parts of which one is privileged and performed by a so-called soloist and the remaining one or ones are played by so-called accompanists. I clearly realized then that ensemble performers are equal, free artists who share the responsibility for the quality of their music. They are always bound by the partnership and not by a deforming relation between a soloist and accompanist which reminds of a lame walk or a flight of a bird with a weak wing. 

The concept of partnership became a natural dominant of my whole modest artistic activity both as a performer and a teacher. It was a discovery of sorts to realize that the partnership between two persons is the fullest and most authentic reflection of partnership in music.  For this reason, I use the latter concept just as a pretext.  I am positive that any other form of human partnership would not even come close to my Dodecalogue of  Partnership in Music which I hope you will enjoy in a moment.  It brought about the realization that art is not an ornament to life, but the very life itself. 

At the same time, roughly half a century ago, I realized that there are but a few individual performers, commonly called soloists;   they probably make up just a permille. All the others, with the exception of keyboard artists and perhaps the harp and guitar, share the fundamental part of their artistic activity with other performers, starting from duos and ending  with the grand philharmonic orchestra, which actually makes them ensemble performers. 

This immediately brings to mind the issue of their interrelations.  To simplify matters, I can distinguish two options of such relations: it is either partnership between two free artists or a deformed relation of a soloist and accompanist, when one of them is  a priori  privileged and the other a priori subordinated. 

I perceive partnership as the only relationship which is conducive to the success of the performance and to the best and fullest an artistic achievement in the atmosphere of alliance, freedom, and satisfaction of all the performers.  I am positive that  in view of this final result of performing creativity, which should be as close to perfection as possible, young people should grow in the atmosphere of partnership right from their very first lessons in music. 

Fair enough, a certain form of the accompanying relationship also appears in the life of the music community. It occurs when the leading and accompanying elements change their prominence throughout the piece, as dictated by the composer.  In such a case, both performers switch between performing as a soloist and an accompanist.  Another case involves a practical situation when a so-called accompanist who is usually a pianist, assists performers at competitions, hearings, in opera theatres, etc. 

Quite recently, I realized that my reflections on partnership lack a clear definition and description of the term.  Let me quote a relatively comprehensive one which I have already used in my Essay on Partnership in Music:

        “The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines partnership in the following way: ‘Partnership, a voluntary association of two or more persons for the purpose of managing a business enterprise and sharing its profits or losses.’

          Britannica, possibly the best encyclopedia worldwide has provided a definition which seems perfect. Nothing more, nothing less. It encompasses everything, clearly and concisely.

          However, just after having read it I  recalled an excellent, wise, and significant story told by Abba Eban about an inquisitive student who asked his Rabbi if the whole Torah could be reduced to just one sentence. The master replied: „Of course, yes. Do not do unto others what you would not want to be done to you. This is the whole Torah. The rest is a commentary”.

The partnership works in a similar way. The essence of the encyclopedic definition is reduced to a single, brief sentence. And herewith comes a commentary.  Naturally, a personal one as I would never venture to think even for a moment about providing a universal one.

          Let me begin from a reflection that partnership, similarly, to culture and all creative human relations do not happen by themselves.  All these phenomena require effort, involvement, wisdom, persistence, and even devotion, as well as other similar, related values.

          In the particular case of a musician, the indispensable condition is the viable, individual level of professional abilities. I do not mean any absolute values, but rather the current level of a pupil or student and finally, the level of a mature artist.

          From the variety of important values, I  have chosen twelve to use them in my personal commentary,  without arranging them in any particular order of importance.  Let them serve as a set of elements necessary to create a reasonably coherent whole.  As promised earlier, I  present herewith The Dodecalogue of  Partnership in Music.

 

Here they are:

The first value: Shared responsibility for the whole performance

  A soloist performs a musical work on his own, at his sole responsibility. His is the success and his is the failure. He does not have to reckon with anybody or anything.

            The responsibility for a partner-like ensemble performance is of dual character: in addition, the part of the work performed by an individual artist, concerns also the value of the whole work. Therefore, a performer should be constantly aware that his contribution, if meager, will degrade the whole performance depreciating the effort and involvement of the other participants.

The second value: Reciprocity

          It is impossible to imagine a one-sided partnership, or similarly, a one-sided friendship. Perhaps only unrequited love is imaginable in some sense. But any expectations of happiness and success on the part of an infatuated person are his or her personal problem, and the responsibility is also his or her.

          Apologies for quoting myself, but I have always thought that “The fact that I love you neither obliges you in any manner nor entitles me to anything.“

The third value: Understanding

          I perceive understanding both in the literal and wider sense. Understanding in the literal, simple sense also seems quite significant, perhaps contrary to appearances. Every person, even if speaking the same, native language, expresses his thoughts and chooses his vocabulary following a characteristic pattern; each of us has an individual sense of humor and a style of approaching others. Various, quite common misunderstandings which often are so irritating, mostly result from such seemingly trifling details.

          The wider meaning of this aspect which reaches deeper into the domain of psychology, embraces the knowledge of individual features of a partner including his temperament and personality.

          Gender differences are also significant. Musical partnership with a man or a woman often felt differently for me. It may be considered insignificant from the purely professional viewpoint, but at the same time, it is one of the nuances which may affect the comfort of being together.

The fourth value: Openness to dialogue

          I quite enjoy the adage that two monologues do not make up a dialogue. True enough, when each of the partners is focused only on his part without any contact with the utterances of the other partner, the dialogue simply is not there. This may concern equally the musical dialogue and dialogue of everyday co-existence with another person.

The fifth value: Readiness to understand the otherness of the partner.

          Although it is generally known that every person is unique and one of a kind, this fact is surprisingly often forgotten in everyday relations. This is particularly true for a long-lasting arrangement with one or more partners. The understandable differences may turn often into a problem when initial attraction gives way to almost unavoidable irritation.

          Also, it is not so easy to accept the fact that the readiness to understand the otherness of the partner should be reciprocal; the partner should be equally willing to understand our idiosyncrasies identically as we understand and accept his.

          The awareness of this phenomenon is invaluable as it greatly facilitates any ventures into this delicate and extremely sensitive territory.

The sixth value: Internal space

          I mean primarily the space for thoughts which allows for relatively conflict-free existence and collaboration with a partner, free from doctrines, narrowed aesthetic preferences, world-outlook bias, moral and even historic encumbrances, not to mention traces of racial connotations.

          Such space provides a considerable luxury and easiness of working and being together with a partner and almost fully guarantees the freedom of artistic expression.

The seventh value: Ability to hear the partner and oneself at the same time

          This ability constitutes one of the fundamental differences between solo and ensemble performance. The fact that the soloist hears only himself is by no means a discovery. In turn, an ensemble performer must – really must – hear himself perfectly and at the same time hear and understand the part played by his partner. I am sure that it is not only an ability but also a skill which can be taught.

          Actually, there is no particular reason for which one should reiterate how important and valuable such hearing is for one’s fascination in creating performative art and also everyday life. Clearly enough, this the obligation of hearing and understanding oneself and the partner should actually refer both to playing together and to ordinary, every day being together with another person, shouldn't it?

The eighth value: Good manners in togetherness

          It might be worthwhile to remind those good manners are obligatory for being together with another person in any circumstances, both professional and in private life.  Any joint or shared activity creates demand for good-mannered behavior and reciprocal communication, particularly in the atmosphere of tension and involvement in the work.

The ninth value: Tactful reduction of tension

          It seems obvious to me that certain tensions are unavoidable in any partnership, even the most comprehensive and perfect. It would be naïve to think that partnership is just cakes and ale forever.

            The tensions may stem from the richness of human nature, but they may also result from seemingly trifling situations that sometimes carry a hidden potential for a more serious conflict.     

It seems also that an instinct to fight is inherent in humanity.  Therefore it seems paramount that the vectors of forces in such a fight should be directed towards the common good and not against one another. 

          When such tensions do emerge, the ability to solve them tactfully is simply priceless. Perhaps it is worth remembering that certain discomfort experienced in the proximity of another person can be mutual, and the partner may also feel uncomfortable with me. Ah, the expectation for reciprocity in partnership never ends!

 

          The tenth value: The ability to accept compromise.

          It seems obvious enough in the fine domain of different aesthetic preferences. I find it highly comfortable to acknowledge that the interpretation of a musical phrase does not necessarily have to be identical for all the performers in the ensemble; all of them are professionals and, evidently, none will propose any musical nonsense. Certain divergences and interpretation nuances that stem from understandable individual differences can even make the performance more attractive and colorful. 

          Any attempts at uniformity usually end up in a failure. The compromise seems an obvious approach to the sensitive issue of approving of one's differences and freedom of expression.  

          The eleventh value: Respect and confidence in the partner

          In addition to the obvious respect for the  professional skill, this refers also to purely humanistic values, to the approach to life, interactions with others as well as the ability to cope with challenges and various co-existential problems – in brief, to all the facets which combine into a full personality.

The twelfth value: Understanding the imperfections of my partner... and my own

          The English adage Nobody is perfect immediately springs to mind here and it is not just a handy phrase. The understanding and acknowledgment of this obvious, albeit inconspicuous truth, protects against harmful irritation allows keeping the distance from one’s  own imperfections and possibly prevents any destructive frustration and excessive quandary.

                    Well, Errare humanum est. It is a human thing to err.   Errors are included in the costs of progress and development, and the fear of committing errors may be worse and more destructive than the errors themselves.  It is one’s own decision either to notice a positive, creative side of this uncomfortable phenomenon or to consider only its destructive and negative effect.   

          As it has already been said, my commentary on the encyclopedic definition is personal or even authorial. The dimension of the concept of partnership and partnership in music, in particular, is huge and it seems necessary to arrange its various elements in some order. The ones which have been presented here hopefully provide a compact and quite precise image of this absolutely fascinating relationship, both in professional and private life.

I am aware of the fact that my thoughts on Partnership in Music may be considered idealistic and they do not necessarily find their reflection in reality. However,  I  console myself with the thought that even the Decalogue with its “Thou shalt not kill”, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not steal” quite often fails to reflect the actual relations between people. Following my private Decalogue, I have been calling “Thou shalt be a partner!” for more than half of a century now, and yet when I listen around I can still hear  “Thou shalt be an accompanist”!

Here ends the quotation from the Essay. Let me summarise my speech with a  brief fragment of my presentation at the last Congress of Culture (2016):

„It would be highly desirable if this wonderful, fascinating concept finally  attracted the professional attention of some philosopher, a Socrates,  or perhaps a poet, or a Shakespeare or someone like our Kotarbiński.” 

The Partnership Promotion Centre is making its first step today in Bydgoszcz, an incredible, extraordinary town that resolutely creates reality, ignoring fads and prestige. I am convinced that the next steps will follow, leading it all the way up to the  Parnassus.

I consider it particularly important and positive that the Centre is anchored at the non-university level of education.  Let me recall one of my favorite adages:  As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined. A young person who absorbs a twisted attitude towards ensemble performance at a very early stage, almost at the beginning of his encounter with music,  with the soloist-accompanist relation unwisely encoded in his mind instead of the partnership,  may get stuck from his childhood on in the impasse of a solo performance being the only option for success. Consequently, instead of being delighted with the beauty of music and the joy of creating art in a team, he may be destined for the fifty shades of frustration along his way through life. I confess that throughout the half-century of my work with young people I did my best to prepare all of them to cope with such frustrations.  In my view, this is the ultimate goal of this Centre. 

 

 

Bydgoszcz, November 3rd, 2016

 

 (jmarchwinski@gmail.com)