Modern Mozart

[roryk]

In Squarepusher's wikipedia entry he says that he thinks that classical composers were restrained by their instruments and that computers have allowed modern composers musical freedom from that restraint. His point is excellent, and it has to logically be true. There are only so many sounds a violin can make, only so many sounds a tuba or a cello

Comments

[notweak]

I think that this 'beauty' that is found in those compositions is due to the imperfections caused by their creative medium, which in most cases boils down to the human hand, or mouth. Electronically produced music can only brush the surface of the kind of emotion that a human can put into a physical instrument, by intentional syncopation, or abstraction. Sure, I could sit down and program a synth to produce a perfect chord progression, chorus, hook, breakdown, etc -- but due to the absolute "perfection" produced by this medium, the lack of any human emotion would still leave much to be desired. I think the art of electronic music composition adds even more restrictions to the musician than any physical medium (in it's current state). The creation process eventually just turns into a linear puzzle in which you end up trying to find the most logical place to put that snare drum, or bass. There is so much more to music than programming a perfect (or unstably perfect in Squarepushers case) drum beat, and chord progression.

Maybe the reason why we don't have our 'electronic mozart' is because we haven't developed an efficient medium for creating electronic music?

[notweak]

I guess the above mostly applies to non-IDM electronica. I think that Squarepusher and Aphex Twin have their foot in the door with regard to electronically unstable instruments -- something that is still in a 'keys and kites' state in music. I do think that emotion can be construed through this electronic medium, alongside real instruments (squarepusher's tetra-sync comes to mind (which is deductively true based on my above theory, since the prerequisite of physical interaction is accomplished)).