“Author or Writer? Entertainer or True Musician?”
A writer writes from a need to express his inner self to so benefit his readers, whereas an author writes selfishly to benefit himself through the manipulation of his readers. Most so-called writers are really authors, as are most actors, artists, and musicians, however skilled they may be.
Let’s consider singers. Most are merely author/entertainers: “holding the attention of the audience with something amusing or diverting.” I always think of “amuse” as implying the absence of the Muse, and “divert” meaning to turn away from what matters. Amuse, divert and entertain all “refer to actions that provide pleasure, especially as a means of passing time.” The entertainer gives little of real substance. It is all show: all to show himself.
The writer/singer, however, is dedicated, not to his self, but to the benefit of the composer and the audience, that they all may be enhanced through his selfless efforts.
What to call this rare being? Not performer, for both “present before an audience.” He is a True Musician – true to the True Purpose of Music: to benefit Mankind.
