Challenging The Work Concept: Metaphor, Embodiment And Structure In Music Analysis
Metaphorical depictions, embodied experiences, and by extension structures within the music, are distinct between performances of both the same works and across works of different styles. Traditional forms of musical analysis focus on the score as a discrete, concrete “object”, replete with meaning and fully representative of the composer’s intentions. As a result, performance has been treated as inessential and not recognized for its significant role in the co-creation of music and its ability to generate meaning. This research examines performative differences through close listening in recent recordings of Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor BWV 1001, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor Op. 30 No. 2, and the Sibelius Violin Concerto Op. 47 in D Minor. With regard for the effects of metaphor, embodiment and structure, it shows how interpretive decisions within performance have profound implications on our emotional experience and perception of the music, well beyond what is notated in the score.