Yo-Yo Ma is a cross-genre musical explorer

The argument

Proponents of Yo-Yo Ma's claim to be the greatest cellist rest the case on breadth rather than on any single performance. Greatness on the instrument has normally been measured within one repertoire: most other cellists are known mainly for their renditions of famous classical pieces, and are ranked against one another on how they play the same relatively small body of work. On this view that measure is too narrow, because it rewards depth within a single tradition while saying nothing about whether a player can do anything else with the cello. Ma satisfies the conventional test first. Supporters emphasise that he is a master of Bach and Dvorak, so the case for him does not ask anyone to discount the classical repertoire or to accept range as a substitute for command of it. What distinguishes him, they argue, is that he then went further, venturing into a much more diverse range of music, from bluegrass to Chinese folk. Each of these makes demands the classical literature does not, in rhythm, in tone and in what counts as a correct performance at all, and proponents treat the ability to meet those demands as evidence of a more complete musicianship than classical mastery alone can demonstrate. Some of his work resists classification altogether, blending several genres so deftly that it cannot be assigned to one of them, which supporters read as the mark of a player exploring what the instrument can do rather than interpreting what it has already done. The last element of the case is reach. Musical dexterity of this kind might have remained a specialist enthusiasm, but proponents argue that Ma combined it with a popularity and an audience extending around the world, so that his exploration was widely heard rather than merely attempted. Command of the classical repertoire, range beyond it, and reach across it, on this view, together amount to a status that other cellists have not achieved, which is why supporters conclude that the cross-genre explorer is also the greatest cellist of all time.

Context

Yo-Yo Ma began learning cello when he was four, and at seven years old he played at a gala attended by important figures such as Leonard Bernstein and Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower. He began attending Julliard at the age of nine as well. Ma has won 18 Grammy awards in many categories, including classical, folk, chamber music, and world music. He has continually endeavored to expand on the classical repertoire for cello by playing lesser-known pieces and debuting new works by contemporary composers; Ma also has a project called Silkroad, where a group of artists celebrate their many cultures through music performance.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Some have argued that Yo-Yo Ma is the greatest living cellist, but this does not take into account others that have come before him that have arguably surpassed him in multiple ways. For example, Ma has not taught any world-famous cellists or directly involved himself in fostering positive political change like Rostropovich did. Ma may have accomplished a lot in his life so far, but he should not be considered the best simply because other cellists in the past have done more than he has.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Breadth of repertoire is a claim about range rather than about playing, and the premise offers no comparison of the cello playing that "greatest" is meant to be about. The contrast is also overstated: the cellists named in the sibling positions include players who premiered new works, transcribed and arranged widely, and moved between traditions. [Rejecting P2] Popularity and reach measure a career rather than an instrument, and they depend on recording technology, touring economics and media unavailable to earlier players, so the criterion is not neutral between the candidates. The counter names dimensions on which others led — teaching, and the succession of players they trained.