Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!rutgers!cmcl2!lanl!nmsu!opus!eiverson From: eiverson@nmsu.edu (Eric Iverson) Newsgroups: comp.music Subject: Re: ICMC reaction Message-ID: Date: 24 Sep 90 15:20:26 GMT References: <40170@becker.UUCP> Sender: news@NMSU.Edu Distribution: comp Organization: NMSU Computer Science Lines: 64 In-reply-to: bdb@becker.UUCP's message of 22 Sep 90 13:35:32 GMT In article <40170@becker.UUCP> bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce D. Becker) writes: > Uhhhh... Eric, I think the remedy might need to be > applied to your attitude. > > It seems clear there is indeed a large gulf between > your thinking and that of the musicians. > > Rather than criticize, you need to try to internalize > their ideas so you will be able to communicate with > them. I'm pretty certain that your ideas as to what > music is came across in conversation, so that you > were therefore left alone... > > -- > ,u, Bruce Becker Toronto, Ontario > a /i/ Internet: bdb@becker.UUCP, bruce@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu `\o\-e UUCP: ...!uunet!mnetor!becker!bdb _< /_ "I still have my phil-os-o-phy" - Meredith Monk If I had come across more than a few ideas, I wouldn't be so critical. As it stood, I felt that this was one of the most idea poor conferences I have ever attended. Not to mention the emphasis on expensive toys over how to use them in a composition. I'm pretty certain that "my ideas as to what music is" were shared by several disgruntled participants, just not enough to make a difference. In fact, I have received several email messages that have more or less supported my view of the conference. Just to make you a little more "certain" of my ideas on music (although you already seem to have your mind made up which pigeon-hole to put me in) I might point out that I am not exactly lacking in musical knowledge. I played clarinet in concert bands through college, have taken music theory classes, and have numerous friends who are instrumentalists and/or composers. I have been involved in the cassette underground for the past 10 years and have been exposed to a wide variety of traditional, experimental, and avant garde pieces. The fact is that I am *not* upset with all contemporary art music. I have listened to and enjoyed pieces by composers as diverse as George Anthiel, Fred Frith, Eliot Sharp, John Zorn, Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, The Residents, Brian Eno, Holger Czukay, Luciano Berio, Igor Stravinsky, David Van Tiegham, John Giorno, Skinny Puppy, Throbbing Gristle, Test Department, Glenn Branca, Charles Dodge, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Diamanda Galas, and Pauline Oliveros. These pieces do not use the "tonality, rhythm, etc of old" and yet still manage to be quite interesting and compelling. This is not something I can say for most of the ICMC pieces which I found to be aimless, cluttered, and totally lacking a unifying asthetic. In short, I felt they didn't "say" anything to me regardless of the language they were trying to use. It is this usage and expansion of musical language that I feel should be improved upon if computer music is to have a viable future. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eric Iverson Internet: eiverson@nmsu.edu Computing Research Lab Box 30001/3CRL Life is something to do when New Mexico State University you can't get to sleep. Las Cruces, NM 88003-0001 -Fran Lebowitz (505) 646-5711