Klarinet Archive - Posting 001073.txt from 1998/01

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Modern Music
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 09:37:37 -0500

At 11:57 PM 1/23/98 -0000, David Niethamer wrote:
>on 1/21/98 11:58 PM, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>
>>But if music is NOT "in dialogue with the...people" as you
>>say, then it fails to interest me.
>
>I'm sure Stalin would be delighted to read this comment, and Shostakovich
>and Prokofiev, among others, would be appalled! The flaw of this argument
>is that there are many different kinds of people with many different
>musical backgrounds. Defining which people the dialog is with presents
>real problems in a pluralistic society (not so tough in Stalin's case). I
>don't think we serve the advancement of our art by defining the dialog in
>terms of the lowest common denominator.
>
Maybe it would have been clearer if I had said, "...if the music is not 'in
dialogue with'...ME!" Composers may, if they wish, write complete drivel
that appeals only to their two closest friends. They may NOT, however,
complain that they are not getting a fair hearing, just because nobody else
likes it.

>People react to music on many different levels, some only "skin deep" and
>some in much greater depth. To me a successful piece of music works for
>an audience on several of those levels. It makes *me* want to hear it
>again to discover new aspects. Note that this is without regard to style
>of composition or chronological pigeonhole. Unless the average listener
>brings an open mind, new compositions are unlikely to bring forth this
>response.
>
No arguments with the above. But music I react to with revulsion seldom
gets a second hearing from me.

>I can't leave this discussion without a mention of Nicholas Slonimsky's
>"Lexicon of Musical Invective". All of the criticisms of modern music
>made in this thread can be found there, applied to the music of
>Beethoven, Berlioz, etc. I forget which historian said "Those who do not
>learn from history are doomed to repeat it". Apparently many musicians
>fall into that category. While it is fine to have opinions about various
>works and styles of music, to pass blanket judgment on them without a lot
>of study is to risk ending up with egg on your face later.
>
Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique" left me puzzled for the first several
hearings, but I heard enough there to give it further investigation. Now
it is among my favorites! My mind is not as closed as you may think, but
my ears are sensitive to pain. :-)

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.