. . .I have been guilty of marking a passage "beautifully" (as in: play beautifully) which when you think about it, may be the stupidest musical instruction you can give.
Not at all stupid, Noam, but I do know what you mean; therefore, speaking of musical instructions. . .
Back in my full-time musician days, I was with a group from Illinois (I was the only Floridian) who recorded an album out in Seattle, at Kaye-Smith Studios. This was 1978. The producer asked if I’d be interested in writing an orchestral coda for “No Lover’s Fool,” one of the songs on the album—and I jumped at the chance.
There were other string parts being orchestrated by a pro arranger, David Jackson, who was, at that time, reportedly *the guy* in the Pacific Northwest; I got some valuable input from David, including the fact that viola parts are written in the alto clef. Oops! (so I had to re-write those parts, but that was not a problem, being that middle C, as you are well aware, is on the middle line—Who knew? Live and learn)
When it came time to record the string parts—as I recall, the producer had booked 8 violins, 4 violas, and 4 celli—I distributed the parts to the musicians. Concertmaster Irwin Eisenberg pointedly (sardonically) voiced an objection to my written direction that the parts were to be performed “aggressively.”
“Aggressively? Perhaps ‘Assertively’.“
I said to Mister Eisenberg, “It says ‘aggressively,’ I’d like it to be played aggressively. Can y’all play it aggressively? Problem?”
He muttered something under his breath, my blood ran cold, and I could see some of the other musicians kind of squirming in their seats (I later found out that NOBODY ever “talked back” to Irwin Eisenberg—and who was I? Georg Solti?)
So we ran the part once, then recorded it, doubled it, and it was over, and I was able to start breathing again.
Both Win Kutz (the producer) and David Jackson later said that it was about time someone told Eisenberg where to get off. . .
which was not my intent; I just had a specific attack in mind. I had no idea I’d breached decorum.