The Genius of D'Angour

When I’m learning a new piece on the violin, I start with the obvious: intonation, tempo, articulation and dynamics. But even as I try to perfect each of these elements in the way that is written on the pages, I wonder if I am capturing the character, the emotions of the music. How loud should fortissimo be in order to convey that anger? How much rubato is necessary for a sense of movement and excitement?

Interpreting a piece and understanding the composer’s ideas are constant challenges. It’s difficult enough even when notes and notations are available and clearly marked, but what if all you have are bits of ancient symbols on fragments of stone and papyrus?

Enter Armand D’Angour, Professor of Classics at Oxford University and an accomplished cellist. I attended one of his recent talks on how he was able to recreate the sounds of ancient Greek music. Rhythm was determined by the long and short syllables of words in the poetry, melodies were arranged by extrapolating melodic patterns and instruments were replicated by observing ancient vase depictions. Professor D’Angour was able to reconstruct the entire score for a chorus from Euripides’ Orestes by deciphering notations found on a 5 cm squared piece of papyrus. With his colleagues, he also presented beautiful harmonies on the aulos and kithara—instruments that have not been heard for 2000 years! Without a doubt, interpreting the ‘lost’ music of ancient Greece is no mean feat.

So now when I look at my Bach sonata—one that has minimal articulation, zero dynamics and confusing counterpoints—I’ll remember the genius of D’Angour. I’ll be grateful for having all the notes and rhythms, and try to apply context, patterns and knowledge of the instrument to interpret the music.

And if that doesn’t work, well then, there’s always the genius of Hilary Hahn.