In Monday's class I mentioned the introductory essay in Alex Ross's book Listen to This. Turns out that this long (and fascinating!) chapter originally appeared as a standalone essay in The New Yorker, where Alex is the classical music critic. It's available here (that's the link for the printable version, which I suggest you print and/or save as a PDF; if you don't have a Mac and don't have a utility to save as PDF, email me), and we will start discussing it in Friday's class (and online before then).
In the article, Alex repeatedly mentions Leonard Bernstein's recorded analysis of Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony. We don't have it in the Music Library but it is available as a download for 99 cents from Amazon (on iTunes you have to download the entire album; on Amazon you get the entire album for $8.99, or can download the 5 tracks for $0.99 each--go figure). You haven't had to buy any texts for this course, and you might really enjoy this.
For tomorrow (Wednesday):
Events: We've been talking about your "event" and until it takes place a lot of energy will be going into making it true event. In a happy coincidence, our old friend Greg Sandow just wrote a blog post called Concerts as events. So let's read and discuss that some.
The Developing Future:
Some links to look through fairly quickly:
Alarm Will Sound and The Metropolis Ensemble are two groups based in New York, each playing lots new music, with young, enthusiastic followings. I'm reminded of one of the letters in the New York Times discussion that said the way to introduce young people to classical music is with new music (coming out of the classical tradition), rather than the 18th- and 19th-century "great masters." And I can say that the performances I've been to by both ensembles (which in my own experience have all been at [le] poisson rouge0 feel like events. The Metropolis Ensemble has such a big following that they sometimes do the same show on two nights at LPR.
Bridget Kibbey is a young harpist with a great career going; she plays in the Metropolis Ensemble among other things. As you look at her bio (on the "about" page), notice how many musical projects and teaching activities she's involved in. She has what is called a project-based, portfolio career. Which is another way to say she's a very successful freelancer.
Another successful portfolio-career person is trumpeter C.J. Camerieri, who is a member of Alarm Will Sound as well as a driving force behind yMusic. Look CJ's bio, and the "About" page on the yMusic site--talk about how at least part of the future is no longer "classical OR pop" but "classical AND pop"!
Something's happening in music now that's not happened before, at least not to such an extent. Previously distinct genres are cross-fertilizing and producing offspring that are neither classical not pop nor world. They are a genuine mix, and a genre unto themselves. It's really different than a classical pops arrangement of a rock tune, or a jazz version of a classical something or other.
To sum up:
For Wednesday:
- One short Sandow blog post.
- Three ensemble websites.
- Two musician websites.
For Friday:
- One very long but free article by Alex Ross to read and comment on.
- One 16-minute fascinating talk by Leonard Bernstein (talking with enthusiasm and intelligence about extraordinary music), highly recommended, that costs less than a dollar.
It's interesting to hear an authority on classical music change his opinion about his meaning of what an event entails (even though he seemed hesitant to admit his prior fault). I think this is a critical mindset when analyzing classical music. We have to dig ourselves out of a hole created for us by generations of musicians who remained dedicated to tradition for tradition's sake.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the vague description of a feel for a venue will be a hard thing to bring into reality. Harder still than producing creative new ideas will be getting the classical music establishment on board with any new direction.
I thought it was interesting to hear that Sandow doesn't seem believe that distinctive programming or soloists is what is going to draw new/more audiences in. That seems to be what a lot of people are relying on, and this is the first time I've seen someone say that that may not be effective (enough). But I think he's also just saying we shouldn't RELY on that- it's important, but we'll need to do more.
ReplyDeleteI liked what he said about the importance of the environment, and the way an event feels. You should feel relaxed and excited when you enter a venue. You should already be looking forward to the performance. Ideas for this will be tricky...
I liked how he came up with the idea but I don't think that he realizes how difficult that would actually be. I really like the idea but it seems like an intense job to do.
ReplyDeleteI like how Metropolis Ensemble and Alarm Will Sound set up their websites. They seem to be modern and easy to access. Their names alone are interesting. I think to be at least somewhat successful you need to figure out what kind of audience you are trying to attract. Design and ease are two things that all people would find attractive. I think that in most cases trial and error works the best. See what works and see what doesn't.
I found Sandow's article very interesting on how he described what his opinion of what is an event and what it should consist of. I love the traditions of classical music, but we need to create newer traditions to keep it alive and new. I feel that keeping classical music new can help with its lack of popularity.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Sandow on the importance of the environment and the feelings at an event. You shouldn't feel uncomfortable, left out at an event, but welcomed and relaxed. When planning an event, we need to create an inviting environment for our audience. We could do this by making the event "low-key", casual, and open for everyone. The audience should feel ok with wearing jeans and sweatshirt, not a black tie/suit and ball gown.
Alarm Will Sound's website had a great setup. Easy to use, visually satisfying, and trendy. I also liked the Metropolis Ensemble's page. It was very simple and easy to navigate. On their 'about' link, I particularly liked the slideshow going on in the top right of the page. I did not like Bridget Kibbey's website as much as the others (my computer has been running slow, may not be loading all of the parts to the page...). CJ's page was very cleverly designed. It reminded me of a post card setup and had a very casual feel.
I literally read every word of Alex Ross' essay. Or at least, I attempted to. I was immediately captured by his tone and impeccably poetic language. Indeed, the aesthetic beauty of his words were matched by content - I couldn't have agreed more with the frustrating image of classical music in modern day society. It seems that people, audience members primarily, have distorted the initial desires of composers. Music was meant to be organically appreciated - not to metaphorically handcuff people to their chairs and duct tape their mouths shut. I completely relate to the disdainful looks I receive when I verbalize my excitement regarding whatever music is being performed. The formalities that have become the image of classical music really disappoint me in that they mask the true value of "classical music", or all music for that matter!
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this essay, I felt particularly compelled to talk about the parallels between music and "religion". At the core of all "religion", there is meaning that speaks to large groups of people - hence the followings. Christianity, in its most simplistic description, is the teachings of Jesus. Jesus, not people. As time has progressed, PEOPLE have created rules, sometimes historically sensible but often times just absurd in nature. But those rules have nothing to do what Jesus, the center of Christianity, has to say about life on earth. The way Ross spoke about Beethoven and his wishes for musical performance - he wanted inspired reaction. He wanted genuine audience participation. His followers have distorted his wishes; just as Jesus' followers have distorted his. They have over-formalized/micromanaged classical music in American society. How disappointing. Perhaps I will start clapping in the middle of the next symphony concert I attend, purely for the sake of making a statement.
That's the majority of what I wanted to say. However, I thought it was super rad that he discussed the "shuffle" idea as something so relatable. It completely validated our concert idea! So way to go class. You rock.
Although it took a while, I thought this was the most fascinating thing we've ever read. Through the entire thing, the Ross article was absolutely fantastic! He kept it lively by throwing in a few jokes, but also explained everything well. The ending to me was extremely important because he tried to display how non-music people like us might interpret a classical music concert. I thought he did a great job throughout the entire article.
ReplyDeleteI loved the beginning of the article. The idea of trading the word "classical" just to have the word "music" is essential for us. What we've been working on doing in our seminar is thinking of how to raise awareness and help others enjoy music, not classical music, but music. Yes, there are different genres, but it's important to not let the word classic overshadow the music itself.
I also loved how he mentioned the shuffle idea! It shows that our concert is exactly what should be done to promote all types of music. There are people who have asked, either on Facebook or in person, that have questioned why we call it a Shuffle concert, and once they learn why they become really excited.
I thought the entire article encompassed everything we've discussed this semester and it definitely was not a difficult read.
(friday post)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the idea that "greatness and seriousness are not... defining characteristics" of classical music. I think that this is a huge problem with classical music snobs. They don't understand that this music is just another kind of sound. It's similar to the misconception that all poetry is beautiful. Classical music, like poetry, can be comical, manic, grandiose, beautiful, or downright bad. Its the job of composer to write music that is original and good and the the job of the listener is to know what he or she likes.
I think that Ross's message resonates when he says that "Eroica" doesn't make him say "ah civilization." Classical music is too often equated with a general sense of superiority and class that doesn't really have anything to do with the music itself. Music is more personal than that and purists and pop fans would both benefit by approaching it as such.
Alex Ross's article is by far my favorite out of the ones that we have read. It is engaging, interesting, informative, humorous, and completely relevant. The things that he said validate many of my personal thoughts, as well as the thoughts of our class.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I loved that he straight out admitted a love and appreciation for non-classical music. Many of the essays/articles that we have read have been about classical music as a completely separate and superior form of music. He acknowledges that both have merit, and are great in different ways.
One of my favorite quotes from the article is, "The best music is music that persuades us that there is no other music in the world." This may change at any given time for any given person. Classical music definitely makes me feel this way at some points. But then I remember my love for Andrew Bird and am swept up in his music. Classical music is not superior or better or the only "great" music.
Something that interested me was his comment on Sandow's comment- that those of us who love classical music need to speak from the heart about it more. My question is how do we talk about classical music to make it sound appealing to those who don't already enjoy it? I can tell someone over and over that Beethoven's 6th symphony is genius, but what phrases will make her want to go listen to it?
Ross's article was very engaging and is relevant to modern issues with classical music. "hate “classical music”: not the thing but the name. It traps a tenaciously living art in a theme park of the past. It cancels out the possibility that music in the spirit of Beethoven could still be created today. It banishes into limbo the work of thousands of active composers who have to explain to otherwise well-informed people what it is they do for a living." I have never thought of classical music in this way. I'm a fan of the "old" classical music as well as modern classical music. The thought of having a modern composer comparable to Beethoven is amazing to me and I wait for him/her to rise in fame and talent.
ReplyDeleteI of course have a bias to classical music, but I do not believe that classical music is the "best" music. No music is the "best". In my opinion, all musics are equal. In any genre, there are most definitely great works and on the flip side, there are horrible works in any genre. If we are going to pin point the "best" music, we need to judge individual songs, not genres.
"Music is music. We need genres like we need political parties...they only get in the way." - Michael Potter in class today