Concerto Living
Posted on January 13, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Out Of The Box,Simplification
Wednesdays are simplicity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
I’m a musician, both by training, and often by how I think. My life has a soundtrack, both of music and non-music, and there are a lot of things that I find in music that apply to everyday living. One of those things is concerto living.
Structure of a Concerto
A concerto is a form of music that was popular during the Baroque era (approximately 1600 to 1750 CE; think Bach and sons). It was usually written for a solo instrument with the backing of a group, and usually consisted of three separate parts or movements.
(I find the term “movement” fascinating, because it so aptly describes what music is: an experience the performer and listener go through together, moving through time.)
In a concerto, the movements are generally different speeds, as well as different keys, producing a different type of mood.
Concerto Living
It is helpful to me to remember that my life can be seen like a concerto. There are periods of happy music, mixed with different moods and tempos. Sometimes the music is turbulent, sometimes frantic. Other times it is peaceful and bucolic.
2009 was a slow and calm year for me. Will 2010 show the end of that movement? Or will I continue on in the same slow and pastoral pace and tone?
Photo by wlodi
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Comments (2)
It’s an interesting metaphor. Does it make a difference if you consider yourself a musician compared to a conductor. A musician must follow the flow, although a conductor is free to control the pace of the music (within reason)
Hmmm….a paradigm shift. I’ve never considered myself a conductor. But you are very right. Conductors are in charge of the pace of the music (sometimes poorly, in my opinion!!!!! lol) when they are in charge of an ensemble with an ensemble sound.
There is a lot that an individual musician can do to control the flow, particularly with a concerto. If I go faster, those accompanying me are supposed to move faster as well. So in that case, with a solo instrument backed by an ensemble, the conductor is actually following the soloist. The soloist in a concerto is very much in charge of pacing, within the reasonable bounds of the movement.