“Music theory is primarily concerned with intelligence and reasoning, and its study corresponds to that of mathematics. It can be said that these two studies are mutually supportive, since the intellectual development acquired through knowledge of one of these subjects facilitates the study of the other,” emphasizes Sister Marie-Stéphane.
The metronome is just as useful for counting beats and measures as it is for studying a score or setting up the performance of a musical work.
For the Institut de France, “the metronome is to music what the compass is to navigation”. The metronome acts as a precious indicator for performers. It responds to the wishes of composers who want musicians to be faithful to their work. Indeed, this is what Louis-Casimir Colomb claims in a treatise on music published at the end of the 19th century: “The [musical] field is still too open to the individual interpretations of performances.”
The arrival of the metronome in 1815 revolutionized the world of music. However, a few decades later, this way of thinking, with its emphasis on the controlled execution of musical pieces, came up against the values propagated by the Romantic era, where virtuosity was given pride of place and favoring a more personal interpretation.
The debate raged on, without denying the importance of the metronome for all players in the musical field, professional and amateur alike.
The metronome on display dates from around 1935. The SNJM used several, some of them pocket-sized or electric. Today, this instrument is available online and integrated into many technological applications.
