GLOSSA 11.01.2022, "PARTNERSHIP IN MUSIC"

 Prof. Jerzy Marchwiński

The Why of Discussing the Subject

 

This text is neither a dissertation nor a scientific research project, but only  a handful of personal reflections of the author. Although the musical community uses  a common collection  of terms and definitions, I have not  found any mention  leading towards my ideas, or terms closely related to them. I have not heard about them from anybody, and nobody has taught them to me. They only  result from my experience and thoughts gained during the time of my on-stage performances. (a platform from which  fate has now banned me inexorably), and those gained in lecture halls where my students and I explore the secrets of Art, probably the most beautiful and sophisticated fruit of the human spirit.

      So, how about the “why?” I have explained my understanding of partnership many times on stage, in the lecture hall, in recording studios and during TV broadcasts. I continue to explain it to young adepts of the art of music. So, I thought that it might be worthwhile to leave some written record of my thoughts, to make them more durable and long-lasting than those spoken at concerts or lectures. Moreover, none of my research on the subject has brought to light any publications on human partnership. It surprised me a little, as successful partnership seems to me to be such an important issue. In my view, it is the most important feature  of successfully living together. In the current state  of our musical life, with just a small percentage of it presented  by solo performers, partnership seems to be the leading value of self-realization  both in our professional and non-professional life. Yet, everybody keeps so quiet about it!

          After closer inspection, partnership turns out to be complete in its own right and is  quite difficult  to analyze and systematize. Therefore, I see it as a mosaic composed of a variety of elements that are not arranged by any preferential  order or hierarchy, or something like a kaleidoscopic arrangement. Consequently, that is how I would like to discuss it.

          It is self-evident for me that professional partners in music should have at least a university education, and therefore my thoughts are addressed to readers with this  background; however, I hope that readers from outside the musical community will also find in this essay something of interest  for their own reflections. 

Partnership. Explanation of the concept 

Initially, the title of my Essay was A Lecture on Partnership in Music. After some consideration, I changed it to Reflections on Partnership in Music.

Lectures are generally associated with the realm  of science, and it is commonly expected that the presented concepts will tend towards  generalization with the focus on seeking regularities and uniform, patent solutions.

 

            The domain  of reflections is quite different; it flourishes when given a certain degree of freedom. It allows for individual, personal concepts which, even if absolutely right, still secure  some space for spontaneity and individual perception of a problem. I would venture to suggest that reflections allow one to approach a mystery without the obligation to fully explore it and give it a name.

 

For my own convenience, I use a simple, or even simplistic image of a crossword puzzle to emphasize  the difference between science and art. If you want science, you just need the vertical and horizontal words to fit together. But what happens if you try to turn them into art? The horizontals are perfect, the verticals match them fine, yet the art is somehow not there!

 

            The reflections which I am going to share belong to the sphere of art, even if they do not dwell directly in the world of sounds. However, they refer to the unique reality of a group of people bearing the mark of art and endowed with mysterious capabilities, which are called talent or ability. In that artistic reality, it seems difficult to find the one and only solution which would be totally fair and correct. It allows for the mystery of intuition and special sensitivity.

 

 Naturally, that universe rests upon the foundation of professional skills and special knowledge which can be learned  and acquired. You can learn a profession. However, nobody has succeeded yet in learning a talent! I am deeply convinced that my reflections refer to the profession of art, and they might prove useful for those who seek their own place in the artistic world – a world in which it is difficult to dwell.

 

            Personally, I think that there are three ideas which bind people and form together. They are love which is a feeling, friendship that is an alliance and partnership – which is wisdom.

 A search on the internet will clearly point to the privileged position of love in literature. Since the dawn of human history, geniuses of the pen have used hectoliters of ink to write about it, and the trend continues. Just think about the Song of Songs by Solomon, Greek mythology in bulk (or almost), innumerable poems, epics, novels, and parables.

 

            Although the concept of friendship is present in the Iliad, the Bible and the works of outstanding writers including Cervantes, Goethe or Krasicki and Prus to mention some Polish novelists, yet it forms just a fraction in comparison with love.

 

            How about partnership? The literature is silent. Only recently, have some journalists  started to notice it. It is quite surprising, considering that human partnership fosters  a patent and efficient guarantee of successful cooperation and coexistence with others, and it seems to offer the greatest chance of creating  a mutual version of reality. Love is not so reliable, as “…it is a gypsy's child, and it has never, never known the law.” For that matter, friendship may also fail to survive the  encounter with various very challenging situations.

 

To greatly simplify the matter, love predominates until the marriage ceremony and wedding. But what happens next? Most of the fairy tales end with “...and they lived happily ever after.” Perhaps this is due to the fact that first they were lovers, and then they turned into partners who hopefully had a chance of a successful life together, until the final parting?

 

I sometimes think that partnership is still waiting for its Shakespeare or for a philosopher similar to Kotarbiński. My personal reflections form just a tiny, unprecedented, and pioneering introduction to something which has not yet been called into existence. After starting to work on them, I was amazed to realize that the concept of partnership in music is not so distant from human partnership in general. Actually, they seem exactly the same if one sets musical terms aside. Therefore, the topic of partnership in music has become for me an excuse or a tool for exploring that fascinating, vast phenomenon of partnership.

 

More than 60 years ago, an outstanding artist, Edmund Kossowski who was at the height of his potential at that time, made a recording of the Winterreise with me, a new graduate of the State Academy of Music PWSM. That recording, now an archival one, became the leaven of my lifelong passion for partnership and accompaniment. From the very beginning of our work together, I was  aware that this set of Schubert’s songs is a single piece written for two performers – the singer and the pianist, and that both are shouldering the indivisible responsibility for the optimal performance of that masterpiece.

 

Another personal discovery was realizing that all performances of music are either solo performances, or teamwork in partnership with others. I am positive that the best and most creative foundation for ensemble performances is partnership, and not the distorted soloist-accompanist relationship.

 

            Just a few words about the accompaniment, the accompanist, and their artistic and service roles. The so-called accompaniment constitutes an integral part of a musical work and just as all the other parts, it has to be performed impeccably, perfecting the relationship between the leading and supporting elements. Let us examine Chopin’s Nocturnes as an example: the right hand weaves the leading melody,  while the left hand  creates the accompaniment to support it. A poorly performed accompaniment of the left hand will spoil even the most exquisite flow of the right hand. And I myself know, that even the simplest Alberti Bass can be performed shamefully or brilliantly; it can either corrupt the performance or create it. A pianist who is performing a so-called accompaniment should never part with the awareness that he is an artist and a co-creator of the performance who is drawing from the whole palette of his skill as a professional pianist.

 

Problems of relations are still an issue between performers one of whom is favored and the other, as the so-called accompanist who is obliged to subordinate himself. Such a disparate relationship between the performers translates into a lesser  artistic result of their performance. There is a noticeable difference in the quality of Mozart’s songs performed by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf with an accompanist, even though he is Gerald Moore named the emperor of accompanists, and by the same Schwarzkopf with Walter Gieseking, the king of pianists of that era. It seems that the reason is purely psychological: one can either be a partner, understood as one of two equally important performers, or an accompanist, even if his contribution is top-notch.

These are  but a few initials, rather sketchy reflections. Now, the time has come for the most important part – a definition of the fascinating phenomenon of partnership, quoted in extenso from my previous texts.

My personal Decalogue, or rather Dodecalogue of partnership in music is a list of fundamental reflections and values which may help in developing successful co-creations. Although they are purely personal, their message is  quite universal.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines partnership in the following way: “Partnership, 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 encyclopaedia 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, probably with a philosophical smile: “Of course, yes. Do not do unto others what you would not want done to you. This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.”

Partnership seems to be  similar. 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 to provide  a universal one.

Let me begin with  an understanding  that partnership, similar in  all cultures and all creative human relations, does not happen by itself. This phenomenon of partnership requires effort, involvement, wisdom, persistence, and even devotion, as well as other similar, related values.

Concerning a musician, the indispensable foundation to maintain  is the best possible individual level of professional skill. I do not mean here any absolute value, but the current level of a pupil, student, and finally, that of a mature artist. 

I decided to choose twelve of these important values for my personal commentary, without arranging them in any order of importance.  They may serve as a set of elements necessary to create a reasonably coherent whole.  Let me, therefore, present The Dodecalogue of  Partnership in Music.

 

 

          Here they are:

The first value: Shared responsibility for the entire  performance.

To put things into perspective, let me quote a phenomenal definition of the musical work created by our wonderful, invaluable Professor Kazimierz Sikorski: "Although a musical work is a unity, it consists of many elements: melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, agogics, articulation, counterpoint, form, and emotional content.”         

The soloist acts on his own, individually, and is solely responsible.  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; for an element or elements of the work performed by an individual and for the value of the whole work. A team performer should be constantly aware that his contribution, if meager, will degrade the final result, depreciating the efforts of the other participants.

The second value: Reciprocity         

It is impossible to imagine a one-sided partnership, or similarly, a one-sided friendship. These two relations, perhaps the most beautiful ones which may link people, just cannot exist without reciprocity.   

One-sided,  unrequited love is imaginable to a certain extent.  But any expectations of happiness and success for the infatuated person are his or her personal problem, and the responsibility is also his or hers only.

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 the partner 

I perceive such understanding both in the literal and wider sense. 

To understand somebody, simply and literally, seems an important thing – more important than we usually think.  Every person, even if he or she shares the same mother tongue with us, expresses his thoughts and chooses his vocabulary following a characteristic pattern; each of us has an individual sense of humor, intonation, and a style of approaching others.   Such seemingly trifling details can be a source of common misunderstandings which are sometimes so irritating!

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

Gender differences are also important for me, among other things.  I have always had a different sense of being a musical partner to a man and a woman.  It might seem that this aspect is irrelevant from the purely professional point of view, but at the same time, it is a nuance that may influence 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. When each of the partners is focused only on his or her part, without any connection with the utterances of the other partner, the dialogue is simply not there.  It affects concerns both the musical professional dialogue and the everyday coexistence of one human being with another.

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 overlooked in everyday relations. This is particularly true for a long-lasting arrangement with a partner or partners.  These understandable differences often turn into a problem when the initial attraction gives way to almost unavoidable irritation.

Also, it is hard to accept the fact that the readiness to understand the otherness of the partner should be reciprocal; our partner should be equally willing to understand our idiosyncrasies, just as we understand and accept theirs.

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

The sixth value: Internal space

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

Such space and such freedom provide the luxury and comfort of being and working together with a partner and is an almost 100% guarantee of the freedom of artistic expression without any sense of threat and other discomforts.

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

This ability is one of the fundamental differences between solo and ensemble performances. The fact that the soloist only hears himself is by no means a new discovery.  In turn, an ensemble musician is obliged – really obliged – to hear himself perfectly and at the same time to hear and understand the partner.  

I am convinced that it is not only an ability but also a skill which can be taught.

I don't see any special reason to make people aware that the ability to hear and listen is truly important and precious if one is infatuated with creativity, performing art, and also with everyday life.  After all, doesn't this duty to listen to oneself, to hear, listen to, and understand one's partner apply just as much to making music together as to everyday being together with another person?

The eighth value: Good manners in togetherness

It might be worthwhile to remind us of all those   good manners are necessary  for being together with another person in any circumstances, both professional and in personal life. I feel that if good manners became a common practice in human relations, all codes and Decalogue might become redundant. 

Good-mannered behavior and approach to others seem to be in particular demand for any team activities, especially in the atmosphere of creative 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 one. It would be naïve to think that partnership is just cakes and ale forever.

It also seems 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. 

Tensions in a partnership may stem from the richness of human nature, but they may also result from seemingly trifling situations, which sometimes carry a hidden potential for a more serious conflict.         

In the midst of intense situations, it is simply invaluable to show good manners, tact, goodwill, and human kindness to help solve  the difficulties as they arise.      

It might also be worthwhile to realize that certain discomforts felt while being together with another person are to a certain extent mutual, and the partner may also feel uncomfortable with me. Ah, the reciprocity requirement in partnership never ends!

The tenth value: The ability to accept compromise

Any attempts at uniformity usually end up a failure. However, they offer space for compromise which allows the freedom of speech. It seems an obvious approach to the sensitive issue of individual preferences.

It might be very helpful to realize that the interpretation of the musical phrase does not necessarily have to be identical for all performers in the ensemble, as all of them are professionals and therefore none would propose any musical nonsense. Certain divergences and nuances of opinions that result from understandable individual differences may make the performance more attractive and colorful.  

The eleventh value: Respect and confidence in the partner

The confidence and respect for the values cherished by the partner are obvious things. Naturally, this does not concern only the general, professional skills, but also the purely humanistic values, the approach to life, interactions with others, the ability to cope with challenges and various co-existential problems. Briefly, to all the facets which combine into a full personality.

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

The English adage “Nobody is perfect” immediately springs to mind here but is not just a handy phrase.  The understanding and acknowledgment of this obvious, albeit inconspicuous truth, protects against harmful, even excessive irritation and allows us to be aware of our own imperfections. It may even prevent destructive frustrations and exaggerated dilemmas.  

Well, Errare humanum est. To err is human.   Errors are included in the costs of progress and development, and the fear of making 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 effects. 

As it has already been said, my commentary on the encyclopedic definition is personal. The concept of partnership is so vast that its reasonably comprehensive discussion would hardly fit into a sizeable trilogy. Therefore, a selection was unavoidable. I hope that the aspects presented here provide a reasonably compact and precise image of this absolutely fascinating relationship present in our professional and private lives. 

I am well aware that my comments on partnership are just an idea that does not necessarily find a 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. Personally, I keep calling out, “Thou shalt be a partner,” and yet, I still hear, “Thou shalt be an accompanist” echoing in my head.