“I’d like you to perform your music from memory.” Oftentimes, these words tend to trigger anxiety and weeks of stress to music students of all ages and abilities. In this post, we'll dig into a brief history of memorization, and ways to make this challenge easier and more fun.

What is memorization in music?
Memorization in music simply means being able to play a piece without looking at the music.

Who needs to memorize music?
Generally, all musicians playing as a soloist will perform from memory. If a musician is playing with an accompanist (i.e. vocalist, violinist, clarinetist, etc.), the soloist will typically have their music memorized, but the accompanist will not. If an individual is playing in front of an orchestra - like in the case of a concerto, the featured performer should have their music memorized, as well. Not everyone needs to memorize music for performance, however. Ensembles like duets, quartets, or symphony orchestras, traditionally do not memorize their music. 

Why do we do this in the first place?
We didn’t always memorize music. Beginning in the Romantic Era, composers began writing “art for art’s sake”, and took more time to produce and finesse their work. This gave touring performers like Nicolo Paganini, Franz Liszt, and Clara Schumann more time with their repertoire, and established memorizing music as a customary practice. These artists changed the way music was performed.

​What are the benefits of memorizing music?

• Increased expression and artistry
• Faster speed and agility
• Consistent note accuracy
• By digging deeper, you’ll begin to internalize your music
• Eliminates anxiety about losing your place or stressful page turns
• Increased confidence by knowing you can play a piece when you sit at ANY piano you come across

I've never memorized anything. How do I do it? 
There is not one fail-proof method that works for everyone. The best way to memorize your music is to spend time with it. Here are some ways to make memorizing more of a game and less of a chore:

1. A Minute to Win It. Set your timer to 1:00. You get 1 minute to work on memorizing each measure. When the timer goes off, reset it and move on to measure 2.
2. Back It Up. Start from the end of your piece and work your way backwards.
3. 10-Penny Challenge. Start with 10 pennies at the left side of your music stand, and choose 1-4 measures to work on. If you can play that passage perfectly without mistakes, you get to move one penny to the right side of your music stand. If you make a mistake, you have to start over. Continue this until you can play it 10 times in a row.
4. Analyze This. Look at your music away from the piano. Do you see patterns? Do you know the music well enough to be able to sing it in your head (or out loud)?
5. Leave It To Fate. Mark the sections in your piece, and label them A, B, C, etc. Write these letters on slips of paper, fold them, and place them in a bag. Choose one at random and see if you can play your piece starting from that point!
6. Operation: Warp Speed. How far can you make it while playing at half speed? Twice the speed?
7. Hop Scotch. Place your music flat on the floor (face up). Toss a penny onto your music and play from wherever fate has chosen!  

What superstitions do you believe in? You may say you don't buy into that, but do you "casually" walk around an open ladder instead of walking underneath? If so, you're not alone. Musicians can be very superstitious, too! The Rolling Stones cannot begin a show until they've shared a shepherd’s pie. The 27 Club is a well-known curse claiming the lives of a wealth of musical giants at their prime -- like Hendrix, Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. John Lennon was followed by the number 9 from his birth to his death. 

Which brings me to my next point: The Curse of the Ninth. 

Compose a 9th symphony if you dare, and you will die before ever composing a 10th. This superstition dates back to the 19th Century, claiming composers like Beethoven, Mahler, Schubert, Dvorak, Bruckner, and many more to follow.

In 1827, three years after finishing his Symphony No. 9, Ludwig von Beethoven passed away one thunderous night at 56 years old. He left behind an unfinished Symphony No. 10. Franz Schubert, an Austrian composer in his late-20s, was greatly influenced by Beethoven's work and deeply affected by the composer’s death. Schubert struggled with his deteriorating health for a few years, while also flourishing with creativity. In the last weeks of his life, he began to sketch three movements for a new Symphony in D major (Symphony No. 10), better known as Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. When he died, he was only 31 years old. In 1896, Anton Bruckner was the next to follow before he was able to finish composing his 9th symphony. Antonin Dvorak died in 1904 after completing his 9th symphony. 

Concerned that this was much more than coincidence, Gustav Mahler decided he wasn't about to suffer the same fate as his predecessors. After completing his 8th symphony, he wrote a piece of music, Das Lied von der Erde, that was, in essence, a symphony – but he refused to call it one. He then finished his 9th symphony, contracted pneumonia, and died in 1911 at age 51. So close!

Is The Curse of the Ninth real, or merely coincidence? You be the judge.