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. . . Some new music abounds
in rhythmic configurations
that are literally unplayable. Whereas a few years ago composers were still
legitimately involved in exploring new rhythmic possibilities, I doubt
that any further reasonable rhythmic figures can be discovered,
and it seems to me that composers today should concentrate on finding those
complex or “irrational” rhythms that can be incorporated into a
practical
repertoire. If a composer must go beyond the point already reached, he
is well advised to compose for electronic media. . . .
. . . I seriously doubt . . . that the human ear can accurately translate into physical impulses that which is in the first instance determined only by arithmetic calculations . . . or by notational mannerisms which actually represent ideas essentially external to music itself. For rhythms must ultimately be felt if they are ever to be played accurately. As far as performance goes they simply cannot remain at the level of intellectual apprehension, but must be translated into physical impulses. Reflexes can, of course, be trained to react to more complex impulses, but within each generation or each historical period there seem to be certain limits in this respect; at the very least, it takes a certain amount of time to acquire such new reflexive habits.
Gunther Schuller
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