Composers, performers, listeners, critics and theorists all play vital roles in the creation of music culture; yet often each group can appear to hold widely divergent views of a musical work s aims and effects. As the title indicates, this book examines the parts played by these groups and the interaction between them. In the first of eleven essays, Robert Saxton discusses the difficulty in pin-pointing the moment of inspiration for a new composition; while Raymond Warren looks at the problems facing operatic performers, including those that arise when interpretations are suggested by the...