Open thread for discussion and questions related to the second of the six-part series.
The Rest is Noise, Part Two. A consideration of Part Two of The Rest is Noise: with a focus on the birth of a new avant-garde through American experimentalism – Charles Ives, Henry Cowell, Johanna Beyer, and Lou Harrison – and their effect on Europe.
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In the second class I read a quote from Aaron Copland, both in the context of the "lie of classical music" - that is - the evocation of it as something in a higher and timeless sphere (as Ross shows Wagner and Hitler viewed it), and in relation to our discussion of Copland's own undervalued music:
“Every composer functions within the limits of his own time and place and in response to the needs of his audience. But for some curious reason, music lovers persist in believing that music on the highest level ought to be timeless, unaffected by temporal considerations of the here and now. It can be easily shown, however, how far from true this notion is. The music a composer writes makes evident his life experience in a way that is exactly similar to that of any other kind of creative artist, and it is therefore just as closely identified with the esthetic ideals of the period in which it was created. The composer of today must of necessity take into account the world of today, and his music is very likely to reflect it, even if only negatively. He cannot be expected to execute an about-face for the sole purpose of making contact with an audience that has ears only for the music of the past. This dilemma shows no signs of abatement. It isolates more and more the new generation of composers from the public that should be theirs.” – Aaron Copland, 1954
This quote resonates over 50 years later. I mentioned in class how American classical music culture still suffers in its presentation and FM radio ethos, from this kind of vision of classical music. I do not see this mentality in the view of any other art forms. This is really the most important discussion that lovers of classical music can have in terms of changing the conditions of classical and post-classical music in this country, and in how you vote with your ears. Our musical institutions which have not participated in this discussion since Copland wrote this, are complicit in the extenuation of these circumstances and the stalled development of a healthy ecology for American music.
This may be a troublesome notion for some, and I would encourage discussion!
Listening in class two consisted of:
Stravinsky - Requiem Canticles
Shostakovich - Symphony #5
Duke Ellington - Ko-Ko
Charles Ives - Piano Sonata #2 - The Alcotts
John Kennedy - Storm and Stress
Aaron Copland - Symphony #3
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