[TPIN] Forgetting stuff

[Stan Baptista]

> has to play the entire night from memory...

Memorization isn't emphasized for brass players and I wonder if it
would help us as players if it were. For example, I've never heard of
an orchestra/concert band/big band/brass quintet where it was
_expected_ that you perform completely from memory. Even a
professional soloist like Maurice Andre has music in front of him when
he performs.

(Actually, let me modify this a bit. The Canadian Brass is an example
of a group that plays by memory but they're still the exception.)

On the other hand, it's quite common for singers to memorize both
music and lyrics for operas or musicals. Same for pop singing. I sang
in an a cappela choir recently where the conductor INSISTED that all
pieces be memorized.

The fact is, if you have the time to thoroughly prepare a piece or
play it often enough you virtually memorize it anyway but I wonder to
what extent it would improve performances if it were more of a
requirement.

I realize that there are practical limits to this (it would be fun to
tell orchestral string players that they must memorize every note of
every Mahler/Mozart/Beethoven/Haydn/Bruckner...Symphony but I'm
guessing that won't fly;-)

Thoughts?

-Stan