Towards a new understanding of the score-performance dilemmas

In scores from the Western Classical tradition, the ambiguity between the notated music and the actual performance and perception continues to draw audiences to live concerts. This discrepancy presents dilemmas that are challenging to resolve but warrant further investigation: What could be notated but is deemed unnecessary or unfeasible? What constitutes 'licence'? Where do the boundaries lie between cultural norms and personal expression? To what extent can a composer's intentions be discerned? Which of these considerations should be integrated into music education? The aim of this conceptual article is to enhance the theoretical understanding of musical score interpretation by drawing on existing empirical and theoretical insights from different fields. It seeks to identify relationships, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in existing literature, highlight their shortcomings, and outline future directions to address these questions. I conclude that current research on this topic does not yet provide universally accepted answers, thereby hindering the development of a comprehensive, explanatory model of musical score interpretation. Lastly, I propose a novel hermeneutic approach aligned with Elliott’s praxial philosophy in music education and Ricoeur’s concept of Mimesis. This approach offers a new framework for conducting interdisciplinary studies aimed at developing a holistic model for understanding musical score interpretation.