Question

Difficulty: HardUnderlying Assumptions

Read the following passage:

The historically informed performance (HIP) movement posits that classical music should be performed using period instruments to faithfully realize the composer's original intent. Proponents of strict HIP argue that modern instruments, with their expanded dynamic ranges and different timbres, inherently distort the musical narrative envisioned by Baroque and Classical composers. However, musicological pragmatists push back against this purist approach. They contend that because modern audiences possess vastly different auditory expectations and cultural contexts than eighteenth-century listeners, attempting an exact acoustic replica fails to recreate the original emotional impact of the work. Furthermore, certain radical interpretationists argue that a musical score is merely a skeletal framework; they insist that performers must actively reshape the work using contemporary sensibilities to prevent historical compositions from becoming sterile museum artifacts.

Based on the passage, match each viewpoint regarding musical performance to the unstated underlying assumption upon which its argument necessarily relies.

  • Strict HIP proponents' assertion that modern instruments distort the composer's envisioned narrative.The expressive substance of a composition cannot be abstracted from the specific technological constraints of its original era.
  • Musicological pragmatists' claim that acoustic replicas fail to recreate the music's original emotional impact.The aesthetic efficacy of a performance is heavily contingent upon the listener's preexisting auditory conditioning.
  • Radical interpretationists' demand that performers actively reshape works using contemporary sensibilities.Historical artworks lack intrinsic cultural vitality and will stagnate unless continually adapted to reflect present-day values.

Answer

Strict HIP proponents assume expressive substance is bound to historical technological constraints. Musicological pragmatists assume aesthetic efficacy depends on audience auditory conditioning. Radical interpretationists assume historical works lack intrinsic vitality without present-day adaptation.
Each viewpoint in the passage contains a logical gap between its premises and conclusion. The correct matches provide the necessary unstated premises. The strict HIP argument requires assuming that musical narrative is tied to era-specific technology. The pragmatist argument requires assuming that emotional impact is contingent on audience conditioning. The radical interpretationist argument requires assuming that historical works lack inherent vitality without modern adaptation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the strict HIP proponents' viewpoint.
They believe modern instruments distort the narrative envisioned by early composers.
To identify an underlying assumption, we must find the necessary unstated premise that connects the use of modern instruments to the distortion of a composer's narrative.
2
Analyze the musicological pragmatists' viewpoint.
They argue that recreating exact historical acoustics fails to achieve the original emotional impact due to modern audiences' different auditory expectations.
The argument relies on a bridging premise about how emotional impact is generated—specifically, that it is dependent on the listener's background, not just the sound itself.
3
Analyze the radical interpretationists' viewpoint.
They insist performers must reshape works with contemporary sensibilities so they do not become 'sterile museum artifacts.'
This conclusion logically requires the belief that historical works do not naturally maintain their life or relevance over time without active modern intervention.

Key Concept

Identifying Underlying Assumptions in Multi-Viewpoint Arguments
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