Musical Criticism

If music reporters had to invent fresh praise every week, many would run out of ink fast. Outside major cities, the person covering concerts often isn’t required to know music at all, so reviews collapse into recycled lines: “Miss A played beautifully,” “Miss B sang sweetly,” “Mrs. C shows the result of careful practice,” “Mr. D sang in his customary pleasing manner,” and so on—ad nauseam.

One local critic dodged the whole problem with a single sentence: “Miss F’s playing was a good example of her teacher’s method.” Later, to friends, he admitted the “method” was abominable.

Criticism used to be far more florid. Samuel Pepys, writing about a play that included music, described the wind instruments during an angel’s descent as so sweet it “wrapped up” his soul and left him almost physically unwell—like the old sickness of being in love. He went home unable to think of anything else, and even resolved to learn wind music himself—and make his wife do it too.