Lecture 1, Question 1: Ensemble and Audience Influence

[Luke P]

In my personal opinion, I believe that although composers will write different pieces entirely depending on the occasion or instrumentation, they will still include themes/motifs as they please and only modify them or further change them. This can be discouraging as great ideas composers have in the spur of the moment may be lost or morphed into something completely different.

[Daniel]

I do partially agree with this statement Luke because it is highly evident in (please keep in mind I'm no professional and I'm a college student studying music) Mozart's clarinet concerto - the final movement - were yes there are parts were the music is written to include motifs and beauty but, there are also highly technical aspects towards the movement which include insanely high jumps for a reed player and very fast and decorative runs which as is know were written mainly for the virtuoso Anton Stadler and I'm highly confident that this was specifically done for the virtuoso and the audience who could enjoy the performers great skill. 

Overall, I believe that music - at the time - was highly influence by the audience to which the music was to be played to and not solely based around specific motifs the composers came up with at another time - although they will have been modified yes. Obviously excluding Beethoven who was in his own sense special.