Performing music from memory can be extremely demanding. Not only is there the initial challenge of retaining thousands of notes and complex musical structures, but also the equally formidable task of remembering and executing them in stressful performance situations. All too often, such demands have caused performers to accrue hours of mere repetitive practice, trying to develop multiple ways of recalling music so that their performance will continue come what may. Such strategies, however, can be inefficient and can fail to guarantee perfect recall. As a result, musicians, teachers and researchers have sought to answer two questions: why should performers memorise music, and how can this be done most efficiently and effectively? Answers to these questions have traditionally been drawn from a large corpus of inconsistent, anecdotal evidence. This chapter will re-address these two questions in the light of recent studies which have examined musical memory more systematically.

Exploring why musicians perform from memory

In 1828, Clara Schumann set a precedent for musical performers by playing in public without a score. Shortly afterwards, Franz Liszt, with his ‘predilection for showmanship, seized the opportunity to turn this new development into a dramatic ritual’. He caused a veritable uproar at one performance by flinging not only his white gloves into the first few rows of the audience – a gesture for which he was renowned – but also his score. Such theatrics were not well received by critics.