Notes for a Phenomenology of Musical Performance (original) (raw)

Understanding performance can not only increase our theoretical grasp of music but reveal something of the general character of human experience. Performance evokes a condition that affects the fundamental aspects of experience: the perception of time and space, of the body and sensation, and of personal and social experience. A phenomenological description of performance from within the situation reveals a transformation of ordinary experience. Time and space are transfigured, body awareness and the sensory system are intensified, the dynamic character of musical experience is heightened, and its personal character is enlarged to encompass both audience and tradition, as the listener becomes an active participant in this process.