01 The Language of Music
A painter hangs his or her finished pictures on a wall, and everyone can see it. A
composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional
singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer is utterly dependent
on them. A student of music needs as long and as arduous a training to become a
performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned
with technique, for musicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a
ballet dancer.