Klarinet Archive - Posting 000924.txt from 2000/10

From: Anne Bell <bell@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Critics
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 16:53:39 -0400

If this is the case the paper needs to look further- perhaps at you Ed!!!
One of our reviewers here is a Music Professor who specializes in Early
Music. I don't make a habit of reading the reviews so I don't have a
personal opinion of his writing but I have heard him discuss some of the
events and he's pretty much of the same mind as myself (not that _that_
matters much).
Best Wishes,
Anne

At 03:44 PM 10/16/00 -0500, you wrote:

>Unfortunately, the critics with whom I am familiar, and who too often have
>an inordinate amount of influence if not control over the lives of
>musicians, are far from the category of Hanslick, et. al. Here, it is often
>someone who studied writing in college, and who therefore is supposed to
>have a certain amount of command of the language. As far as their musical
>qualifications are concerned, they might have attended a few concerts at
>some point in their distant past. There are also the sports writers, who
>have no games to cover that night, who might be assigned to review an
>orchestra concert. Then, there are the college student interns, who are on
>the newspaper staff for a period of a few weeks, and who are assigned to
>write reviews as a part of their introduction to the various aspects of the
>newspaper business.
>
>It's always an interesting and challenging experience to perform a concert,
>and then read the review in the next morning's paper. Most of the time,
>what I read bears no relationship at all to what I remember about the
>concert. It's not just that they are wrong, but rather that their
>descriptions or assessments are so far off the mark that they are
>nonsensical.
>
>Since the time of Hanslick and other famous critics, the entire nature of
>criticism as a field of endeavor has changed. In the 19th century, critics
>mostly tended to think of themselves as reviewers of compositions and
>composers; now, they are more likely to be reviewers of performances and
>performers. Since orchestras today play music of the past, for the most
>part, no reviewer cares to write yet another review of a Beethoven or Brahms
>Symhony, for example. But, if they are going to sit in judgement of
>musicians, would it be too much to ask that they have at least a little
>knowledge of music, on which to base their assessment?
>
>Ed Lacy

*********************************************************************
Anne Bell bell@-----.net
Bayside HS Orchestra Director
ABC Index: http://www.anne-bell.sneezy.org/ MUSIC LINKS!
*********************************************************************

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