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PERFORMANCE



Music must be seen and heard through the gestures of the musicians.

— Gilbert Rouget,
"Entretien", in De bouche à oreille,
Geneva, 1988, p. 184, translation.


     

Sport involves training the body for competition and putting on a performance to capture the interest of the spectators.

Photo: P. CarpentierMusic is the product of an activity executed by the body that involves a form of production, contact with the public and communication. These elements of performance are present when national anthems are played after athletes receive their medals. A symbol of the sovereign power of a state, the national anthem is part of the production of the event: it reaches out to the public, communicates a message, and is theatrical in the sense that it is played. The theatrical aspect of such an event is apparent in other musical traditions when the public's presence is essential to the performance of the music. The public is in fact indispensable to the dramatization of the performance.

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