Afzuic in educationThe following are a few of the principles that guide the Musical
Youth of Thailand in this respect.
The ‘concert spirit’ should be banned. Young people should have a simple
approach to any music session, as they would to a conversation or a
reading session. Accordingly, the utmost care should be taken to
avoid anything that resembles a ‘stage performance’, which would
automatically lead to: exhibitionism on the part of the player who
would thus become an interpreter; exacting laziness on the part of
the listener, who, instead of listening, would become a critic of the
performance.
Recourse should be had as far as possible to non-profissional performers.
This presents no problem in Thailand, where, unfortunately, pro-
fessionals are few and far between. However, the mere fact of being
untroubled by professionals is no salvation. A concert given by non-
professionals, that is, a musical performance that is not only pretentious
but is also bad, is worse than anything. With non-professionals, as
much as with professionals, we have to beware of and stamp out any
exhibitionism. This is not always easy. The performer (who has prob-
ably had a fine dress specially made for the occasion) is disappointed,
and so is the public which was looking forward to a show.
The gap between the performer and the listener should be reduced. A group
of 15 or 20 people gather round the piano. A larger gathering in-
evitably lacks unity. They chat. The player speaks about what he intends
playing that evening. If he has no set programme, he asks after his
listeners’ tastes and desires: ‘What shall I play to you?’ ‘Some more
Beethoven sonata.’ ‘Would you rather I tried to give you an idea of
Parsgal?’, etc. The player takes his place, and the listeners too; an adept
gets ready to turn over the pages of the score.
The performer should be like a reader. The performance should be as
simple as taking up a book and reading aloud, for oneself and others,
poems picked at random. The player should have no pretensions to
playing well. He has never said that he was infallible, and he makes no
attempt to cover up any mistakes he may make. He is not performing
a circus act. Occasionally, he will play over again some difficult passage
that has cropped up. In reading, too, we stop and start again. And at
the end, of his own accord, or if asked to do so, he will repeat a
subtle passage or one whose beauty he wants to stress.
The listener shud share in thepeq.fornzance. If the performer is not to be
a star, neither should the listener be a spectator, someone who has
paid and who, in return for his money, counts up the mistakes made by
the pianist. Our listener will realize that, considering his great ignor-