Music criticism
Expert assessment of music and performances, mediating between work, interpretation and audience.
What it means
Music criticism assesses compositions, performances and recordings and mediates between the artwork, the performers and the audience. It describes, places in context and evaluates. It is found in newspapers, magazines, on radio and online, as concert reviews, record reviews or as a contribution of musicology.
Musical use
As an activity in its own right, music criticism developed in the 18th century with the first specialist journals; Johann Mattheson published Critica Musica in Hamburg from 1722 to 1725. In the 19th century Robert Schumann founded the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1834, and critics such as Eduard Hanslick shaped the debates around Brahms and Wagner. Today criticism competes with blogs and listeners' ratings.
Music criticism should be distinguished from musicology, which researches scientifically and does not evaluate, and from advertising, which promotes a product. A good review justifies its verdict and makes its criteria recognisable.
Performance practice
When you read reviews, pay attention to the reasoning: what is described, what is judged? If you write one yourself, separate observation from judgement and give examples from the performance.