Critics, 'fess up.

[Sorin Eushayson]

If you've listened to a recording you've generated an opinion about that recording, whether it be well-thought-out or casual.  In this sense, we are all critics. 

[jlaurson]

Everyone Is Not a Critic

The process of learning is a humbling affair. Every time our knowledge doubles about an issue dear to our hearts (or minds), we are reminded how little we knew in retrospect. And of how paltry the newly gained knowledge will seem again, once we learn more and re-double our knowledge. Concepts and relationships once out of grasp become 'common knowledge'.

There is a danger that the uninformed curiosity of a past moment will seem like sheer ignorance from the new vantage point. We are all the better off if we remember that any current state of knowledge could well seem ignorant, too, just a few facts and epiphanies down the road.

For me, music is this field. Discoveries of the obscure as well as evidently obvious facts continue unabated and my ignorance of the subject matter appears to half every few years–and yet seems infinite. Writing about music means that pitfalls are lurking left and right. If I assume my current comprehension and expertise to be 'common knowledge', I ignore that 'uninformed curiosity' from which I continuously evolve and which the potential reader shares in various degrees: the writing becomes difficult or meaningless, drowning in jargon and references not shared. But assuming no or very little exposure to the topics at hand might patronize readers or lack that trace of challenge that makes a topic more involving.

Humility—in the sense of 'knowing one's level' (Latin: humus = earth) rather than 'meek' or 'modest'—is the key to useful writing. Confidence in one's own combination of ignorance and knowledge will prevent from straining to impress the fellow critics. Without that confidence and the desire to shine among the fellow idiots savants, jargon inevitably rears its ugly head. This is why so many reviews strike as terribly erudite—few of them are—and so very useless, because they are essentially written to withstand the judicious assessment of fellow critics. Ineffective writing is made worse when learned language masks sheer opinion, straining to make reviews appears as criticism.

(continued at Classical WETA)