Riot of Spring
I just decided to make a Livejournal post to inform everyone that I am listening to The Rite of Spring.
Not just flicking through the track for lulz, actually listening to it.
It appears that I am officially not bothered by any sort of unconventionality in 20th Century music. This time last year, I would have thought, 'WHAT THE FUCK, this type of music has absolutely NO structure or logic, I can't bear it, I don't see how I will ever be able to.' I mean, I appreciated it, it's just that I didn't want it on my playlist.
But then I got it out of the library because we were studying the Firebird. It's taken me until now, now that I know about the compound rhythms and harmonies used by Stravinsky, after composition classes, to sit down and listen to it. And I'm thinking, 'Hey...
...this is pretty neat.'
Yeah, it's still fucking dissonant to me, but it's taken higher musical education to convince me that Stravinsky didn't just dick about with some notes and rhythms and that this stuff is amazingly coherent. Now I've got a little background, this music is genius to me.
My point being: is this always going to be, as it always has been, music for musicians?
I can't see it from any perspective, because I am a musician. But I don't know anybody outside of music studies that actually likes the Rite of Spring. I know for a fact that my Dad hates it. The audience members of its premiere certainly hated it. They tore up the seats. It must have seemed like the apocalypse to them.
As in: "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT???"
If it is music for musicians only, is the whole thing futile? I can't decide whether those composers who write music which will only ever be appreciated within their own circle are brave or just stupid.
Is it cowardly to compose something which the general population wants to hear; keeping within the boundaries of intelligent, 'higher' composition but leaning more towards the mass media???
I don't know. I'm thinking a little about my own outcome here. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with a composition degree.
...do you like the Rite of Spring?
Not just flicking through the track for lulz, actually listening to it.
It appears that I am officially not bothered by any sort of unconventionality in 20th Century music. This time last year, I would have thought, 'WHAT THE FUCK, this type of music has absolutely NO structure or logic, I can't bear it, I don't see how I will ever be able to.' I mean, I appreciated it, it's just that I didn't want it on my playlist.
But then I got it out of the library because we were studying the Firebird. It's taken me until now, now that I know about the compound rhythms and harmonies used by Stravinsky, after composition classes, to sit down and listen to it. And I'm thinking, 'Hey...
...this is pretty neat.'
Yeah, it's still fucking dissonant to me, but it's taken higher musical education to convince me that Stravinsky didn't just dick about with some notes and rhythms and that this stuff is amazingly coherent. Now I've got a little background, this music is genius to me.
My point being: is this always going to be, as it always has been, music for musicians?
I can't see it from any perspective, because I am a musician. But I don't know anybody outside of music studies that actually likes the Rite of Spring. I know for a fact that my Dad hates it. The audience members of its premiere certainly hated it. They tore up the seats. It must have seemed like the apocalypse to them.
As in: "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT???"
If it is music for musicians only, is the whole thing futile? I can't decide whether those composers who write music which will only ever be appreciated within their own circle are brave or just stupid.
Is it cowardly to compose something which the general population wants to hear; keeping within the boundaries of intelligent, 'higher' composition but leaning more towards the mass media???
I don't know. I'm thinking a little about my own outcome here. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with a composition degree.
...do you like the Rite of Spring?