Music Instinct | PBS

“number of movements” , I think.

Thank you for the video!!

4th to last line should read:
“I got to play all of these movements together to make it one piece.”

I love it when performers know and understand the background of the music they’re playing. It shows dedication and true interest in their talent and work.

Meg König, violist from Kansas City, MO

Most of this presentation contains bla bla bla .. that everybody already knows. Who cares?

But important is this: Yoyo Ma asked, “Who owns Sarabande?”

This is a wrong question according to my logic as a philosophically oriented physicist, because it is logically nonsense: “Sarabande” or “dance” is an abstract and generic word. Thus, this question is a Logical Fallacy! It is like the question, who owns HORSE? One can ask, who owns THAT horse, or THIS horse, or THE horse named “Beauty”. But the question “who owns horse” does not make any sense, because “horse” is indefinite. This logical fallacy may be of cultural origin. In some language there is no difference between definite and indefinite articles (there is no difference between THE horse and A horse; both are simply “horse”).

Logically correct would be: Although Sarabande historically may have originated from the Bedouins (who cares?) THE Sarabande played by Yoyo Ma is “owned” by J.S. Bach.

Even more bizarre is Yoyo Ma’s statement regarding Sarabande: “there are many, many truths” (this wording has been omitted from the Youtube recording found on the website, but I still remember, because I disagreed strongly). Obviously, his thinking is static, maybe again caused by heritage. For at one time there can be ONLY ONE truth, i.e., the most complete and most comprehensive truth. This truth may change with time.

My last –but not least– criticism is directed to Yoyo Ma group performance with some violinists who played the musical instrument as a percussion instrument. Obviously, the presentation was a misfit amidst the other high quality presentations in the TV series. The violin is a highly sophisticated and perfectly developed musical instrument throughout the entire music history, technically as well as artistically. It is an obvious perversion to play this noble instrument like that, primarily because its primary purpose and its superior quality and value are blatantly violated! It must here be emphasized, novelty alone does not make a work great, or progressive. In the first place, it must be good! If it is just “novel”, i.e., different than usual, but nothing else, it must be judged “perverse”.

Bernard S, physcist and violinist from Herndon, VA

Amen, Aviva!

I enjoyed this video. As a music educator, I appreciate Yo Yo Ma’s approach to the material and evocative questions. He is a great example to musicians and developing musicians in that it is obvious he has done his homework through the years but yet he does not put on airs as if he has all the answers. Indeed as another post said, one does not have all the answers, certainly not in musicology. There are snobs who *think* they do, but unless one boards a time machine and lives in a specific era as eye (and ear) witness, you cannot possibly know all.

All of Ma’s questions are also a great educational example of a worthy approach to not only learning music, but any discipline. Don’t just take things for face value. Ask. Probe. Dig. Wonder and question out loud. Look at options and possibilities.

Finale point that I would like to make is I appreciate how musical and emotive his playing is. In spite of the much repetition in a sarabande, his technical skill and musicality made it beautiful to experience.

@Bernard Souw
Talk about “bla bla bla bla,” your post was nothing but that. Mr. Souw, there is no tactful way to put this, but you are a snob. With no life. I find your remarks to be offensive, uncalled for, rude, ignorant, and way off the mark. You cannot see the forest through the trees regarding the purpose of this presentation.

You started your caustic remarks only because the transcription of the video does not place the word “Sarabande” in quote marks. So you are set off because of a perceived grammatical and semantic error. I’m rolling my eyes at you. Such juvenile behavior.

Then your last paragraph has nothing at all to do with this video. Nothing. You obviously have a petty jealousy toward Mr. Ma. I suggest that you go do plenty of volunteer service for your fellow man somewhere to build your ego in a healthy manner.