Chapter 37 - Historical Performance

Summary

Brahms holds a special place among the major instrumental composers in that not only does his life straddle major changes in instrumental design and performance practices, but that recollections and sound recordings exist by younger contemporaries to illustrate these. Indeed, there is sufficient evidence to encourage many different perspectives, and the field has become one of lively debate. In this, there are two extremes of interpretation: first the historically driven view that stresses fundamental differences of instruments and performing styles; second, a traditional view of continuity from the past that accepts modern adaptation and expression of these factors. Although the latter is not essentially concerned with historical issues, it cannot be ignored because it represents a permanent counterweight to the historical approach, which remains problematic for many in its implications for modern performance style and social function [see Ch. 23 ‘Instruments’].