Barks & whispers

The melodic lines themselves are expressive to me. Take, for instance, the works of J S Bach: in most of what I have heard in the interpretation of other pianists, I feel that too much is imposed upon the music. The very direction of the lines, the moving lines of notes are inherently expressive. Without the consciousness of what these lines really represent, one may feel that it needs an expressive addition. In my composing, too, I try to find something which expresses itself without adding.

The pianist Keith Jarrett, from the liner notes to his recording of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier. The link between music and my view of speaking text is clearly laid out here.