Is it always music when it's played by an orchestra?
In Germany there's this discussion about what constitutes art that comes up time and again. Particularly if, as it just happened a few days ago, a cleaningwoman destroys the installation of a contemporary artist by giving it a good scrub because she didn't recognise it as art
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I like some, though not all, modern music. I only really learned to appreciate it when I had to perform it myself in college as a pianist and in an orchestral setting. I tend to think a lot of modern music is best understood as a performer rather than a listener precisely because there aren't many accessible melodies in the music. But I don't think this makes it just "noise." It may not be very good music or maybe not even art in the estimation of a listener, but yes, I do think it's "always music when it's played by an orchestra" (or any other performer) because there was a composer who sat down to create something intentional, and there are performers who take the time to attempt to communicate this intention. Again, perhaps the composer and/or performers failed to communicate anything meaningful to you. That doesn't mean that you're missing something, necessarily. It could be the fault of the composer. Or it could be that you're communicating in different languages. So much of modern "art" music music is written in a language that only bears passing similarity to the language of Bach, Brahms or Bruckner. Perhaps it's like German and English? They share some words and even some history, but they are distinct languages, and so I can't possibly appreciate all the beauty of your language when you speak to me. Of course, you have a great advantage over me there. :-)
Okay, my baby is waking up from her nap, which is always a good reason to stop rambling on someone's LJ! Hope you're doing well!
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I play the recorder, also in a group, but the recorder doesn't exactly lent itself to modern music - at least if you're not absolutely brilliant. We usually stick to Renaissance and Baroque music, which I both love very much.
Not many accessible melodies. That's exactly it.
I like your comparison with communicating in different languages. I think it's very fitting. I realise that quite a lot of people appreciate modern music so that I couldn't honestly blame the composers everytime I don't get it. Speaking different languages, though, makes sense. :)
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