To write, or not to write…. program notes. That is the question.
In conversations with composers, the question of whether or not to write program notes often arises.
I am firmly in the camp of “Yes, write program notes.”
I don’t even think that it is optional. In fact, I think composers should write program notes.
Does the music speak for itself?
I get pushback on this opinion. The one single argument I have heard against writing program notes is that “the music should speak for itself.”
Composers who say this have argued that audience members should be able to come to the music on their own terms and create their own meaning, without being influenced or biased by the composer’s ideas.
I find this argument to be insufficient, however.
I wonder if these composers believe that audience members are not having personal experiences with other types of art.
In musical theater productions, the characters, set and storyline are clearly laid out. Art museums contain pieces of representative visual art. Authors describe and name characters in novels.
Even music with a general, non-programmatic title like “sonata” or “fugue” that is tonal and has a traditional form tells the audience how to think about it.
The argument only works for extremely abstract works.
Who is the audience?
Are they trying to appeal to a general audience of music listeners, or are they trying to reach a niche audience with the prior knowledge to be able to come in “blind,” find obscure connections in the music and make sense of it?
I suppose an audience well-versed in abstract music might enjoy having no guidance about the music they are about to hear beyond the instrumentation and the names of the performers.
To me, it sounds like an extreme escape room. No theme, no idea what the time limit is, no clues.
It also sounds like taking a tour without a tour guide.
If I take a tour in a new city, I expect a guide. I can’t possibly be expected to add my own meaning or make a personal connection, know why certain buildings are significant, or anything about the history of the area.
If there was no guide, I would be angry, wondering what the point was, feeling like I wasted my time, and resentful I spent my money on it
I’d leave, vowing to never have that experience again.
I have heard on a few classical music podcasts that 90% of first-time audience members do not return.
I have also learned through business courses I’ve taken that “confused audiences do not buy.”
Program notes can reduce confusion
Program notes may not address every reason why a first-time audience member might feel confused about the concert experience, but they can reduce confusion about the pieces.
Composers and performers of new music need to treat every audience as if it is full of first-time concertgoers.
Because they are first-time listeners of the music performed.
Even if a piece has been premiered, it is not well-known like the pieces that have made it into the collective canon of repertoire. Much of it has not been recorded, and it definitely has not had widespread listenership.
The audience is coming to it without any prior knowledge, especially if they do not already know the composer. And chances are, they don’t.
I have worked in community music for most of my musical career, which means that I have spent a lot of time with music afficianados.
These are people who love music, actively participate in making music at an amateur level, and often attend concerts of all kinds of music, including classical.
But most of those concerts will be full of more traditional, tonal repertoire.
Yet, I get them to listen to – and enjoy – my music, which often brings in atonality and extended techniques.
How do I do this?
Program notes.
Program notes can increase listeners’ enjoyment
The other night, I had a concert and performed my piece Bridges, for solo piano.
The 1st movement is all quartal/quintal harmony. The 2nd movement is atonal. The third movement is a minuet mash-up of an altered “You’re A Grand Old Flag” with the slave song, “Ain’t Got No Money” which alternates between straight and swung 16ths. And the fourth movement is more “classical” with a lot of 16th note runs, but does not follow the rules of functional harmony.
It’s a bit of a strange piece. But they loved it.
Why? Program notes.
One audience member excitedly told me that she had never been to a concert where the program notes were written out with such detail. She said being able to read through them was super helpful.
Another person told me that he could close his eyes and see everything I had written about. He could see the water, the traffic, the old-timey bridge, and the gilded mansions.
Program notes do not interfere with personal meaning
But providing program notes doesn’t mean that listeners did not bring themselves to the piece.
Another man told me he closed his eyes and, even though he had read the program notes, what came to his mind was something entirely different.
Awesome!
Another woman told me about her favorite part of the piece, the musical effect of deep notes in the piano, and didn’t mention the program notes at all.
I have had similar experiences when presenting pieces that incorporate extended techniques.
Program notes offer benefits with no drawbacks
When I have told my listeners what to listen for, they hear it.
Then the music makes sense. Then they feel smart, and they feel good. They have something they can remember and take home from the experience.
Especially when presenting new music to the average listener who might not be familiar with more modern compositional techniques, program notes can explain the “weirdness.”
And if the audience understands why the “weirdness” is there, they accept it and enjoy it for the purpose it fulfills.
The program notes are there for the audience members who want them. Those who don’t want them won’t read them. And people will come up with their own ideas, anyway.
So, why not just provide them?
They can reduce confusion among new listeners and increase the connection audience members make with the music (and the performers and composer.)
What is your take on program notes? Let me know in the comments!