The inaugural workshop in our “Da Capo: Psychoanalysis and Musical Performance” discussion group series got off to a great start at the Fall Meeting in New York in December 1999. Da capo, a phrase found in musical scores, means to return to the beginning of the composition and play to the end or another designated stopping place. Literally, it means “from the head,” an idea that takes somatization backwards. As Sandor Ferenczi noted, when the mind is overwhelmed, the body begins to think. Therefore, da capo takes the process in the other direction.
Many musicians rely upon kinesthetic control and depend upon their mastery over their own bodies. When bodies disobey, the consequences can create intense anxiety. Musicians who experience physical injuries often do not resonate to the psychological implications underlying the injury. They frequently express their anxiety through intolerance for pain and infirmity. In the “Da Capo” series, we are concerned with the entire range of emotional experiences musicians encounter.
All who attended the discussion group in December were delighted and enthusiastic. Among the participants was Toby Perlman, violinist, director of the Perlman Program (dedicated to the training of talented young musicians), and wife of violinist Itzhak Perlman. Toby spoke of her musical experiences and fears with exceptional candor. Subjects touched upon included performance anxieties, how to recognize talent, what kinds of conflicts and uncertainties plague parents of musicians (as well as the musicians themselves), how to nourish talent, and how to help adolescents not lose what Toby referred to as “the magic.”
We began formulating questions about why and how musicians use their bodies and their kinesthetic memories in the service of technical mastery. In addition, we wondered aloud about resistance to psychological treatment and whether musicians are aware of analytic treatment available.
The discussion group, off to a splendid beginning, will meet again in December 2000. We invite the participation of all those interested in music, in performance anxiety, and in treating (or living with) musicians.
Benjamin Kilborne attended the Juilliard School as a pianist and is an analyst in Boston. Julie Jaffee Nagel studied piano performance at the Juilliard School and is a fourth-year candidate at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, where she chairs the Committee on Psychoanalysis and the Arts.