Components of performance expression in education of organists

Abstract

When teaching a performer to be professional and play in concertos, the success is determined not only by his talent and continuous work but largely by the teacher’s ability to know and reveal the student’s personality and guide him towards comprehensive professional development. In the education of a contemporary performer it is essential to develop all the elements of performance expression such as technique, musicality, emotionality, awareness and artistry. Awareness is the most essential feature for a performer; however, the dominance of the rational origins may hinder the way to emotional expression. Conveying emotions in music is one of the most important aspirations for a performer. Organists face specific conditions while performing on stage where particular elements of expression come into force: the performer is invisible to the listener, the success of his performance partly depends on the assistants, acoustics and the performance capabilities of the instrument. Research object: the development of the organist’s performance expression in the process of education; aim: to analyse educational means of the organist’s expression and the application of such means in individual cases; objectives: (1) to examine the performer’s main elements of expression in the education process, (2) to distinguish the means of expression that are essential in educating organists, (3) to define specific elements of performance expression in organ music; research methods: the study of methodological and psychological literature, interview.