How many composers are members of this group?
Briggs
instrumental music. I am wondering: how many of the members of this
group are also composers? If you're not a composer, how did you get
into contemporary classical music?
I am woefully unaware of whats going on in contemporary concert music.
I hope joining this group is a step in the right direction.
Thanks.
Matt
Briggs
Hmmm... it would have been better if the thread title was "How many
members of this group are composers?" [...]
loobyloo
I get the impresion most of the group is; I'm not and I'm not
professionally involved with music, but I'm an enthusiastic listener and
concertgoer.
I can't remember how I got into contemporary music but ever since I was a
teenager I've been into modern art (of all kinds). I suppose I liked the
excitement of it. Also my parents thought the music I used to listen to
was horrible and weird, so that increased its appeal for me.
My road to Damascus event was listening to Charles Ives' 4th Symphony. It
was a really mind-opening experience. I just had no idea an orchestra
could be used like that.
Later I did a university course called The Rise of Modernism in Music,
which was utterly fascinating and gave me a love for the Second Viennese
School, Hugo Wolf and other composers I still like, many years later.
I am humbled to see the breadth of knowledge displayed on this group. It's
a pleasure to be in the virtual company of people who are far further down
the road, as it were, than myself. I'm constantly being alterted to new
things to investigate and I'm you also will find that being here is a step
in the right direction if you'd like to find out about new composers,
recommended recordings, concerts and so on.
Another interesting site is Sequenza 21 www.sequenza21.com/ which is a
US-based site containing reviews and personal blogs. I like the quiet
human-centred and subjective nature of it. No-one writes too dryly and
it's not like a slog up Theory Mountain.
If you live in the UK you should consider joining the Society for the
Promotion of New Music www.spnm.org.uk/ They organise concerts and each
year have an open composition programme, as well as publishing a newsletter
which details other opportunities in the UK.
One tiny thing: every now and again we get an outbreak of one or two people
attempting a simple-minded game of False Anitheses of The Month: one day
it'll be tonality v atonality, another day modernism v common practice.
You can either patiently attempt to colour in the different shades of grey
as many people who are more tolerant than I attempt to do, or just ignore
them, as you prefer :)
Nothwithstanding that, this is one of the better usenet groups I've ever
been on and I hope you enjoy it here.
--
loobyloo, Flat 978, The Old Lard Factory, Lancaster
http://www.myspace.com/lancaster_loobyloo
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