Klarinet Archive - Posting 000256.txt from 2001/11

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Ed Lacy and "Yes We Have No Bananas"
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 21:35:13 -0500

> In response to Ed's question, I am very much prepared to venture an
> opinion. In the abstract, there is no work of Beethoven that is
> intrinsically artistically better than any other, and this is because
> there is no way to demonstrate "betterness" with respect to subjective
> phenomena.

> However, and it is a giant however, if you permit me to include the
> words "To me," I am perfectly prepared to list those works which "To me"
> have greater appeal and, thus, a subjective superiority "To me."

This is somewhat in the direction I had hoped to focus the conversation. In
my more than 50 years in music, I think I could count on the fingers of one
hand all the musicians I have ever encountered who are unwilling to make a
value judgement with regard to the aesthetic stance of such contrasting
pieces as the "Choral Symphony" and the "Wellington's Victory." If we can't
agree that there is any way to differentiate the two of them with regard to
their degree of success in conveying their musical intent, then it seems to
me that we don't have much of a basis for continued debate. We are speaking
languages so disparate that there is hardly any common ground between them.

As you are no doubt aware by now, I'm not so reluctant as you are to say
that the Ninth Symphony, while it is far from being the work that I most
enjoy listening to, is definitely more successful as a medium of musical
expression than some of those other works of Beethoven that I mentioned. I
state that based on my reaction as a musician to each of them, and what I
know to be the reaction of many other excellent musicians. If that isn't
acceptable as a criterion, then I would have to agree with you that there is
no way to "demonstrate" quality differential.

I know that there is a particular philosophical stance that says that there
is no such thing as good quality and poor quality, that the only distinction
between works of art is that they are different from each other. When that
stance is embraced, that ends any consideration of the branch of philosophy
called aesthetics before the discussion begins.

Ed Lacy
EL2@-----.edu

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