Temianka's Place in Lecture-Recital History
When Temianka began lecturing at his performances, the United States had already established a history of lecture-recitals. Musicians were already touring the country and performing various lecture-recitals by the later 19th century. Some conservatories and music societies around the globe adopted lecture-recitals before the outbreak of World War II.
With such a rich history of lecture-recitals, how did Temianka's predecessors influence his style when giving performance lectures?
Two famous lecture-recitalists show strong similarities to Temianka's delivery method and overall outlook on the "performer-artist" relationship: Johann Nikolaus Forkel and Edward Baxter Perry.
Forkel's Kenner and Liebhaber
Born in 1749, German musicologist Johann Nikolaus Forkel was one of the first known lecture-recitalists.One important distinction Forkel made in his time was between Kenner — professionals, and Liebhaber — amateurs. Worried that the musical world was in decline, Forkel thought it was essential to educate Liebhaber and make them more musically literate.
In order to achieve this goal, Forkel began to give lectures alongside his concerts.
Much like Temianka's performance commentaries, Forkel's lecture-recitals were directed broadly at concertgoers instead of academics or fellow artists.
It could be said that both Forkel and Temianka saw the unique position a performer had in both playing for and lecturing to an audience. Temianka's understanding of the "performer as an educator" is mirrored by Forkel's approach to making Liebhaber into Kenner through musical demonstrations and accompanying commentary.
The choice of content is where Temianka and Forkel differ in their lecture style, with Temianka's inclusion of narrative-focused anecdotes and historical references contrasting Forkel's emphasis on music technique and theory.
Perry: Looking Beyond the Mechanical
Edward Baxter Perry, as a blind pianist in the late 19th century, pioneered the world of lecture-recitals. During his lifetime, he gave over 3,000 performances accompanied by verbal annotation.In his book, Descriptive Analyses of Piano Works, Perry includes many written versions of his live performance notes, and an explanation for his efforts to educate audiences.
Parallels between Temianka and Perry quickly become apparent in the pianist's introductory paragraphs, where he explains that a more humanistic tone is necessary when explaining music to an audience:
"True interpretation of music depends … on the fullest obtainable knowledge concerning the circumstances and environment of its origin..." — Edward Baxter Perry
Perry's lectures often included detailed examinations of musicians and their experiences in history, such as Beethoven's friendships or Chopin's musical inspirations. In parallel, Temianka's performance commentaries delved into the human experiences behind the compositions of artists like Debussy or Mozart.Storytelling in this way provided an additional layer of commentary that both Perry and Temianka used as extra context for musical performances. In contrast, Forkel's technical analyses were not concerned with specific historical events or biographical information.
However, like with Forkel, not all of Perry's lecture techniques matched Temianka's. Firstly, Perry presented his historical insights in a formal, straightforward diction, while Temianka was more apt to infuse some humor or opinion in his references to musical history.
Unlike Perry and Forkel, Temianka also used personal anecdotes to connect with an audience and provide insights drawn from current events instead of a historical perspective.
Discussion Questions:
How would you want to see lecture-recitals and performance commentaries evolve in the future?Do you think — as these musicians each vocalized — that music literacy is a public necessity? Why or why not?