Music Old and New
By Jan Kijlstra
Dear Robbie, I'm still too busy to work out some other things for you. However, I feel it's time to write.
I do read some discussions in the MMD on musical taste. One does not like the kind of music made by some people, another tries to explain that it might be useful to listen to this music, even if you do not like it from scratch.
I would like to make just a few remarks.
In the first place: music is emotion. If music does not "ring a bell" (_any_ bell) then that kind of music may be not the appropriate music at that time. Maybe I did not listen well enough, being too lazy. Maybe I'm forgetting that I do follow once again my prejudices. Maybe I do not know enough of the background of this music, etc. And maybe some music is intended to get me upset or angry.
In the second place: the development of music is an on-going event. So is the training of the ear of open-minded listeners. However, after many years I still do not like very much the music of Wagner, nor am I an admirer of "grunge", "heavy metal", or whatever name it may have. And lots of modern "classical" music I do not understand or appreciate.
In the third place: I do feel that one of the nicest things of music is the fact that, since it is going back to the very early days of us naked apes, it still does have the power to unite people. And this is what the MMD is doing so well on the subject of mechanical music instruments.
So, I think, the MMD should not be used to discuss differences in musical taste and/or education. I think, the MMD and its contributors should concentrate on the subject: Music, played by mechanical (and electronic? ;-> ) instruments. Discussions on musical taste, in my opinion, should take place in a more appropriate place. There are many Newsgroups available on the Net, and anybody can start a new one, if he wants to.
There is a good reason for doing so. We must keep in mind that the mechanical instruments are the grandparents of the compact disc. The function is still the same: giving people the opportunity to listen to that music they like best, at prices affordable for far more people then before.
And the kind of music that is played on a reproducing instrument did nor does not bother the makers, nor does it bother me: everybody should listen to the music he likes. Remember: many masterpieces from even great composers like Beethoven, Brahms, Boulez, a.s.o. were not approved at the time they were played for the first time. And indeed, when time passed by in earlier days we did lose a lot of music. But time still is a good selector for music.
The Beatles were hot, when I was young, and I did not like their music. Several songs by them, sung by the King Singers, now are among my favourites. And you should hear Kiri Te Kanawa sing "Yesterday"! Want I mean is: sure, a lot of modern music is not what I like. But one must dig a lot of mud to find some pieces of gold. And this takes time.
So far the optimistic thing. But we also must keep in mind that very many youngsters do not like the world they have to inherit. This is of all ages, I believe. However, given the circumstances, it is not strange that they do strongly feel that our western civilization is going to end rather soon. And so they do protest. One should protest, when young. And it can not be denied that there are many heavy reasons to protest nowadays: environment, pollution, poverty, wars, .....
Since the mass of young people is far better educated (which also means that a lot of them learned to think better) it is no wonder that there are more "protestants". And they too do have their bards, who express their feelings, their emotions, in a musical way. Not my emotions, maybe. But they do have the right to utter them, as I do have mine.
And I do not even live in "the Land of the Free...!"
So, back to basics: the Mechanical Music Instrument?
Greetings, Jan
[ Well crafted, Jan. When I perform I am frequently asked my opinion
[ of contemporary music forms. I reply, "I was wrong about the Beatles,
[ so now I don't pass judgment on the art of my own generation. Ask
[ me about 1920s songs!" -- Robbie
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(Message sent Sun 9 Feb 1997, 18:30:38 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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