As I prepare to perform two sets of Scottish Dances, one by Schubert, one by Dvorak, I am struck by how boring these rhythms were to me as a young player and how these two genius composers pierced the rhythm at every level to produce works of extreme delight.
It is particularly notable in the light of the deliberate parodies of boring folk rhythms badly played composed by the likes of Beethoven, Clementi, et al. (Presto alla tedesco; Air Suisse).
Incidentally, it was a nine-year-old student who made me aware of those parodies.
