WHY DON'T AMATEURS PLAY CONTEMPORARY MUSIC?

by Richard S. Weinert

One of the regular joys of my year is to attend a music camp for adult amateurs. A few years ago, my four-hand piano partner and I decided we had grown tired of playing the familiar standards and decided to look for something contemporary. We asked the coaches who ran the camp for suggestions, and drew blanks. So I called my friend Ursula Oppens, and asked if she could think of some interesting four-hand music which would be accessible to amateur players. She thought for a moment, and her face lit up. "I have the perfect suggestion," she said. "Kurtág!"

So we obtained the relevant volume of Games (Jatékok in the original Hungarian) for four hands. Prior to our meeting at camp, we spent a couple of months totally mystified by György Kurtág's unconventional notation, which lacked key or time signatures. Working out what this could possibly mean, and how to play it, was the greatest musical fun either of us had that summer or since. We were exhilarated by the challenge of understanding a new musical language and achieving unfamiliar musical effects. The best part was the end-of-week performance. We explained a bit about the pieces and how we had come to them, and then played them as best we could. The crowd loved it. Numerous fellow campers told us afterwards how much they enjoyed hearing something fresh, and how they wished they could play more contemporary music.

So why don't they? And why has it been a struggle in succeeding years for my partner and me to find other accessible contemporary works which would provide an enjoyable and stimulating challenge? The first answer which leaps to mind is that most amateurs aren't interested. Instead, they prefer to play great works of the old masters - or at least those which are technically accessible to amateurs. Any amateur program is rich in works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorák, etc. And we do love playing them. One can find works by any of these composers - and their contemporaries - which are well within the technical limitations of reasonably experienced amateurs. This offers us the chance to delve into the music and experience the pleasures of putting together a performance with others and creating something beautiful.

But conversations with other amateurs have persuaded me that there is also an appetite for new music. Many of us feel there is a staleness to amateur programs, because one hears so many of the same pieces year after year, played by different groups. We would like not only to explore new repertory, but specifically to explore the music of our times and to understand better the recent creative innovations which nourish the musical tradition.

The problem is that it's not at all easy to find appropriate pieces. When I have asked professionals who run amateur programs for suggestions for contemporary works, they usually are unable to think of any which are accessible to amateurs. This reinforces the image of contemporary music which amateurs typically have: it is too difficult.

This may be a mistaken perception. It may partly be due to unfamiliar notation and time signatures. A page of Mozart may be quite difficult to play properly, but it looks comfortably familiar. A page of contemporary music which might be easier to play will generally be more difficult to read. The challenge is different, but it can be met. On the other hand, lots of contemporary composition is beyond the technical range of amateurs, and perhaps we are right to be put off.

As I pondered this, it occurred to me that this is a problem which has arisen only recently. Right through the early 20th century, amateurs always played the music of their own time. Much of the music which now predominates in amateur festivals was originally played by amateurs, and often was written specifically for amateur groups. In fact, every great composer of the 18th and 19th centuries wrote many works which amateurs can play. I don't mean practice pieces. I mean serious works, many of which are often programmed by professionals but are nonetheless accessible to amateurs.

Here, I believe, is a major opportunity: assemble a collection of contemporary compositions suitable for amateur performers. There should be no compromises in musical style or quality in the preparation of these pieces - but the technical demands should be limited. I don't know whether these works already exist and simply need to be collected and propagated, or whether composers need to be specifically stimulated to compose works with amateur players in mind. Based on conversations with several composers, my guess is that it's mostly the latter - but one can start by collecting what's already out there. There is a huge collateral benefit to making contemporary music available to amateurs: it will inevitably expand the audience for contemporary music. Amateurs will play some of these works for each other, creating a ripple effect. Amateurs are also concert-goers, CD buyers, and people who talk to friends about exciting performances they have heard.

Here's my fantasy: five years from now, when I approach my chamber music coach for a suggestion for next season's work, (s)he will refer me to an annotated catalog of contemporary works accessible to amateurs. The catalog will have several sections, broken down by type of ensemble - duos, trios, quartets, etc. - and by instrumentation. I'll look there to choose among the many trios I don't yet know and then call an 800-number, credit card in hand.

When not playing the piano, Richard S. Weinert is president of Leslie, Weinert & Co., Inc., a New York investment banking firm. He is also president of Chamber Music International, a series devoted to Latin American composers and musicians, and treasurer of Chamber Music America.

György Kurtág's Games (mentioned in Mr. Weinert's article) is published by Editio Musica Budapest and distributed in the United States by Boosey & Hawkes.