A modernist tale
Matt Friedman
here in Montreal and, from time to time, students ask me for career
advice. This afternoon, one of my students collared me in our new media
lab for just that reason. Carina is looking for some kind of gig in
which she can apply her creative interests after graduation. I asked
what those interests are, and she said that she was getting interested
in electro-acoustic music.
Having just listened to Varese's Poeme Electronique last night, I asked
if she had ever heard of him. She hadn't, but expressed an interest in
learning more, so I fired up one of the computers and looked up Varese
on Amazon.com and played the Real Audio clip of Poeme. She was
fascinated, and wanted more.
In the past, Carina has mentioned that she's into industrial music like
Einstuerzende Neubauten, so I played a couple more of the Varese clips,
some clips of Ligeti, Penderecki, Cage, Stockhausen and others. I even
played her a clip of Pierrot Lunaire.
"This is in the Classical section?" she asked.
"Yep," I answered. "and you can walk into the HMV store downtown and buy
it there."
"Totally cool! I always thought classical music was stuff like Mozart."
I gave Carina a list of names of composers whose work she might want to
check out. She's really pumped and was talking about writing something
about modern music for one of the local weeklies. [This would be a
change -- last week one of them ran an article that said, in effect,
that Philip Glass is the most important postwar composer.] I feel like
I've opened up a 22-year-old's world to a whole new range of music...
and I feel pretty damned good about it. [Oh... and she said I was
"cool," and every professor likes hearing that.]
Just thought I'd share it.
MF
Peter T. Daniels
> change -- last week one of them ran an article that said, in effect,
> that Philip Glass is the most important postwar composer.] I feel like
Well ... maybe if you choose your war *very* carefully. How about
Post-Falklands, Pre-Gulf?
--
Peter T. Daniels gram...@worldnet.att.net
Eric Schissel
Well, I think Vagn Holmboe was still alive at the time. I guess it depends
on just what "important" meant in the original- whether for one thing it
just means "popular" :)
-Eric Schissel
--
schi...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/schissel ICQ#7279016
standard disclaimer
Matt Friedman
>
> My manager's 15 year old son saw a picture of Frank Zappa in my cubicle and
> wanted to know who it was.
>
> I had already was impressed by the kid -- he loves Charles Ives.
>
> So I brought in WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, LUMPY GRAVY, and THE YELLOW
> SHARK for him to take home.
Good one!
> I guess his son hasn't calmed down for a week.
And your manager LIKES this? :-)
> I'll try Varese next.
>
> It does warm the heart, doesn't it?
It does. It reminds me that my own love of 20th century music isn't an
accident. It makes me feel like I've given someone the key to something
that will enrich her life. It makes me realize that all those
twentysomethings who are supposed to be hipihop-rave-heads are probably
a little more open to this stuff than I give them credit for.
Gives me an all warm and vibratey feeling right down in the
guttie-wutties...
MF
John Brower
Matt Friedman <"mwf"@total.net(remove-to-reply)> wrote:
> A funny thing happened to me today. I teach journalism at a university
> here in Montreal and, from time to time, students ask me for career
> advice. This afternoon, one of my students collared me in our new media
> lab for just that reason. Carina is looking for some kind of gig in
> which she can apply her creative interests after graduation. I asked
> what those interests are, and she said that she was getting interested
> in electro-acoustic music.
>
> Having just listened to Varese's Poeme Electronique last night, I asked
> if she had ever heard of him. She hadn't, but expressed an interest in
> learning more, so I fired up one of the computers and looked up Varese
> on Amazon.com and played the Real Audio clip of Poeme. She was
> fascinated, and wanted more.
>
> In the past, Carina has mentioned that she's into industrial music like
> Einstuerzende Neubauten, so I played a couple more of the Varese clips,
> some clips of Ligeti, Penderecki, Cage, Stockhausen and others. I even
> played her a clip of Pierrot Lunaire.
>
> "This is in the Classical section?" she asked.
>
> "Yep," I answered. "and you can walk into the HMV store downtown and buy
> it there."
>
> "Totally cool! I always thought classical music was stuff like Mozart."
>
> I gave Carina a list of names of composers whose work she might want to
> check out. She's really pumped and was talking about writing something
> about modern music for one of the local weeklies. [This would be a
> that Philip Glass is the most important postwar composer.] I feel like
> and I feel pretty damned good about it. [Oh... and she said I was
> "cool," and every professor likes hearing that.]
>
> Just thought I'd share it.
>
> MF
My manager's 15 year old son saw a picture of Frank Zappa in my cubicle and
wanted to know who it was.
I had already was impressed by the kid -- he loves Charles Ives.
So I brought in WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, LUMPY GRAVY, and THE YELLOW
SHARK for him to take home.
I guess his son hasn't calmed down for a week.
I'll try Varese next.
It does warm the heart, doesn't it?
John B.
~----------------------------------------------------------------------~
"You'll never make it. Give up now. Quit squirming. You idiot.
Who cares? Surrender. It won't work. Aha! Told you so."
-- Matt Groening, LIFE IN HELL (1982)
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
JJ Hinrichs
Ligeti, Pettersson, Part, Nyman...It's not Varese electronics, but I love it all
just the same.
I'm all for Beethoven and Mozart, too, but yeah, it is the past and there are
exciting things out there musically for us in the future.
as a side note, I'd call either Bartok, Prokofiev, or Dmitri Shostakovich the
most important composers of the century.
bah humbug to Philip Glass. I get repetitive stress syndrome just listening to
his music.
How worn out is that style of composition after almost 30 years of it, with very
little change? (of course, you can apply that to many composers, but I choose to
pick only on Glass :-) )
JJ
Matt Friedman wrote:
> John Brower wrote:
> >
> > My manager's 15 year old son saw a picture of Frank Zappa in my cubicle and
> > wanted to know who it was.
> >
> > I had already was impressed by the kid -- he loves Charles Ives.
> >
> > So I brought in WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, LUMPY GRAVY, and THE YELLOW
> > SHARK for him to take home.
>
> Good one!
>
> > I guess his son hasn't calmed down for a week.
>
> And your manager LIKES this? :-)
>
> > I'll try Varese next.
> >
> > It does warm the heart, doesn't it?
>
Peter T. Daniels
JJ Hinrichs wrote:
>
> I'm in my twenty's and listen mostly to Schnittke, Rautavaara, Messiaen, Tavener,
> Ligeti, Pettersson, Part, Nyman...It's not Varese electronics, but I love it all
> just the same.
>
> I'm all for Beethoven and Mozart, too, but yeah, it is the past and there are
> exciting things out there musically for us in the future.
Josh Kortbein
: > I'll try Varese next.
: >
: > It does warm the heart, doesn't it?
: It does. It reminds me that my own love of 20th century music isn't an
: accident. It makes me feel like I've given someone the key to something
: that will enrich her life. It makes me realize that all those
: twentysomethings who are supposed to be hipihop-rave-heads are probably
: a little more open to this stuff than I give them credit for.
And maybe also that they can already have good taste in music without
having formed it by listening to classical?
Josh
--
josh blog listening log:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~kortbein/blog/
John Brower
> : accident. It makes me feel like I've given someone the key to
something
> : that will enrich her life. It makes me realize that all those
> : twentysomethings who are supposed to be hipihop-rave-heads are
probably
> : a little more open to this stuff than I give them credit for.
>
> And maybe also that they can already have good taste in music without
> having formed it by listening to classical?
>
> Josh
I didn't infer that good taste was derived from classical music in
Matt's reply, or even that classical music was superior to other kinds
of music.
He said "more open to this (classical) stuff than I give them credit
for".
I thought that referred to young people having a reputation for limited
musical interests.
If your point is that there is only good music and bad music
(admittedly a subjective test), I think we are agreeing with you.