Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site whuxj.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!whuxl!whuxj!wjm From: wjm@whuxj.UUCP (MITCHELL) Newsgroups: net.music.classical Subject: Re: Re: Modern Music Message-ID: <257@whuxj.UUCP> Date: Thu, 31-May-84 10:15:34 EDT Article-I.D.: whuxj.257 Posted: Thu May 31 10:15:34 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Jun-84 09:34:42 EDT Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc. Lines: 31 To Bruce Parker: The point of my article is that I have given "Connotations" and other modern works, especially Cage, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky more than a fair hearing. I have, Mr. Parker, tried to find the elements I like in earlier Copland works (sorry about the spelling errors), but unfortunately they are not there. I do not find the melodic themes, especially those that represent "geographic" motifs (e.g. El Salon Mexico) in this work or in other "modern" works. To Greg Taylor: In general I LIKE most modern art (and hope to soon visit the newly enlarged Museum of Modern Art in NYC which just reopened on 17 May). As for theater, my tastes tend to be fairly broad - ranging from Shakespeare to some very contemporary works (both dramatic and musical - I'm still waiting to get tickets for 'Cats' at a reasonable price). I would say the same for literature, although most of my non-professional reading is non-fiction. Although I tend to prefer Early American furniture, I have seen some very tastefully decorated modern rooms, especially those using Scandanavian motifs and there is some modern architecture I like. I would say that modern "serious" music is the one area of late twentieth centure culture that totally alienates me. Sure one expects to hear new sounds, but it is reasonable to expect those sounds to fit into a cultural milleu which many modern pieces do not. Granted, the composer has the right to go outside this framework, but when he/she does, he/she loses the implicit expectation that the classical music-loving public is going to appreciate the work. I am willing to give any piece of music (acid rock is not music for the purposes of this definition, neither is the sound of BMT trains going around curves, and I'm not counting noise here) a serious hearing. However, in return, I expect the composer to provide a work with some themes that I can relate to. This is what Messrs. Schoenberg, Cage, Berg, and Copland have failed to do. Comments welcome but send flames to /dev/null Bill Mitchell (whuxj!wjm)