Author: vboboe
Date: 2007-11-30 01:42
... i think the real problem here lies in the differences in metaphorical associations between the various regions of english speaking peoples and of course individuals themselves, example, as a former anglo, yours truly doesn't think bright is a negative metaphorical word at all (unless it's 'too bright') because bright seems metaphorically linked with goodness, inner light, godliness, sunshine, Christmas spirit, etc.
On the other hand, to this former anglo, dark does have negative metaphorical associations which probably were built by the pervasive sooty and dirty dust made by coal (the common winter fuel of my youth), the dark smoke arising from coal fires and the sooty mess left behind in the chimney afterwards, especially in dark, weary January, followed by (forked F) February
American classic movies follow the metaphorical idea of bright white hat and light clothes = good guy, black hat and dark clothes = bad guy
North of 60, dark = no sunlight, as in dreary, biting and hostile cold polar winter and much of the far country north of 49 is acquainted with that experience in one way or another, so perhaps dark isn't metaphorically associated with sound, but with something undesirable and unbearably tedious
... but, to comprehend oboe reed sound as 'bright' there has to be something in sound to illustrate the metaphorical association, so 'bright' reminds me of cheery Handel or cheeky Mozart, and 'dark' reminds me of Pathetique or Isle of the Dead
... therefore, transfering the metaphor, to me bright /dark are essentially emotive words used to describe certain qualities in reed sound that readily lend themselves to being played for emotive delivery
... the thing is, i suspect this isn't what americans mean when they say dark or bright, so methinks it's important to understand the metaphorical associations that really make the difference here
... using a 'tangy' reed to play Pathetique wouldn't sound right, any more than using a 'husky' reed would sound right to play Hallelujah chorus
... likewise, using a beautifully mellow 'chamber music' reed to play atonal music with jarring discordances would be a waste, but might be a welcome performance opportunity for some of those disagreeably atonal pieces of vibrating plant that would normally end up in the basket ...
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