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From: pa2253@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (pa2253)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: What makes a piece of electro acoustic music a masterpiece?
Keywords: labels, diefication of music
Message-ID: <7066@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Date: 6 Feb 90 23:49:23 GMT
References: <647@xdos.UUCP> <20400@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <1990Feb1.074731.19127@intacc.uucp> <21656@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <21749@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <650@xdos.UUCP>
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In article <650@xdos.UUCP> doug@xdos.UUCP (Doug Merritt) writes:
>In article <21749@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> maverick@oak.berkeley.edu (Vance Maverick) writes:
>After all, although there are people who may dislike the Fifth for
>good reasons, based on perhaps a deep understanding of musical theory
>etc and long experience, there clearly are also other people who may
>decide they dislike it without having any background in music appreciation,
>or even ever hearing it. And many other possibilities as well.

This is perhaps a point worthy of closing this discussion.  People
are heterogenous with respect to musical experience and perception.
It is foolish to impose a label on a piece of music and think that
the label is appropriate in any absolute sense.  I am also offended
by the use of such a comparitive cliche (Beethoven's Fifth Symphony).
I could strive to mention pieces of music that are aesthetically 
interesting to me:  I consider Gordon Mumma's Dresden Interleaf or 
Nurse With Wound's Brained By Falling Masonry to be electro-acoustic
masterpieces.  However, these pieces are probably obscure to most 
composers of electro-acoustic music--this fact serves to indicate the
impossibility of maintaining a unilateral label for a piece of
music.

Christopher Penrose
penrose@do.ucsd.edu

acoustic examples as they employ clear