1 - The Musical Skills of Frank Sinatra
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2023
Summary
Preface
As close as the ties may be between music and mathematics (rhythm, scales, and chords are structured numerically), music is a discipline that is fraught with subjectivity, enveloped by ideas about what is artistically good and bad. Experts are often called upon to disassemble and analyze the written and recorded material of composers and performers in an effort to explain the intentions of these artists and why their work is important or beautiful. Of course, individuals each have differing ideas about value and beauty.
The analysis of musical interpretation is even more complex. No two performances are ever the same, resulting in a greater diversity of opinion. Perceptions about rhythm, phrasing, vibrato, and sound production all depend on the listener's personal musical experience and emotional response. There is no right and wrong in the discussion of interpretation. However, ideas can be expressed about what is believed to be admirable about an individual's musical interpretation.
Musical admirableness is a somewhat less subjective topic because it depends on more than just opinion. It requires an understanding of the fundamentals of music, knowledge of the structure of a particular composition, and an awareness of an artist's musical skills and limitations. Undoubtedly, the admirableness of someone's musical interpretation is more easily determined when the artist, as in the case of Frank Sinatra, is a consistent performer. Consistent performances are crucial to the analysis of an artist's musical development because they offer the listener assurance that the performer is in control of his or her skills and the quality of the performances is not purely accidental. This permits us to identify and analyze confidently the sonic devices employed by an artist as he or she interprets music.
Listeners have their favorite Frank Sinatra performances and are attracted to them for different reasons—the swing, phrasing, sound, and so forth. Of the hundreds of recordings made by Sinatra, a few examples will be cited in an effort to illuminate some of the admirable qualities found in his musical contributions.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Frank SinatraThe Man, the Music, the Legend, pp. 9 - 14Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2007