What is modern music?
Pierre MARZIN
as a part of a research project, I'm collecting answers to that
question: "What is modern music?". If you'd be kind enough to take
part in this "survey", please tell me what you consider the most
modern piece of music. Please include a link to this piece (so I can
get it on the web). If you want, I'd appreciate if you tell me your
age and musical activity (pro/am musician, composer, listener,
teacher, critic, ...) and motivate your choice.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Pierre.
James Whitehead
MARZIN <mar...@free.fr> writes
This will sound very clichéd but modern music is a thing of the past.
The *most* modern i guess would be the Cage piece - 4'33" after which
its hard to single out music from noise? It remains as a kind of
terminus of the modern tradition of music. (You will notice many
minimalists return to other things - opera for instance.)
http:www//donothingbutlistenforfourandahalfminutes.com
--
James Whitehead
Pierre MARZIN
It's true that the question might appear stupid to knowledged
musicians!
As we know, the perception of modernity is highly subjective, and I
wasn't thinking of "Modern Music". So let's turn the question this
much more precise way: "In the last decade and from YOUR point of
view, what musical tendency or composer or piece or whatever has
really brought something new to music?" In these times where so many
people are trying so many things, what seems to you really actual, new
and important? Sorry, I'm french, so my english is limited...
Pierre
James Whitehead
>J...@jliat.demon.co.uk>...
The only thing that's new in post-modernity is lack of novelty. What
typifies the post-modern condition is the lack of "Art". We are in
effect living in a period which is post-musical. Those who continue to
make "music" are either ignoring this - deliberately or not - or are
engaged in a deeply ironic act. (When lamont young appeared at the
Barbican recently it was as a promotion of Levi Jeans! - the most
interesting thing here is the legal battles over tapes made in the early
60s - this is the current state of high modernism - Stockhausen -
claiming that the destruction of the twin towers is the greatest musical
event... etc. ) Music has become noise - the noise all around us... or
has become the silence which we can never have. Its parameters have been
described - all that remains is to select from what is already given,
and this is down then to public relations.
As was said "After Auschwitz no poetry" - and here the musicians played
over the noise of the gas chambers and ovens - what has become of music
is to hide us from the truth - to make a new truth - as opposed to show
it. Last 10 years then - Spice Girls.
--
James Whitehead
Tatu J. Lund
James Whitehead <jl...@jliat.demon.co.uk> writes:
> interesting thing here is the legal battles over tapes made in the early
> 60s - this is the current state of high modernism - Stockhausen -
> claiming that the destruction of the twin towers is the greatest musical
> event... etc. ) Music has become noise - the noise all around us... or
> has become the silence which we can never have. Its parameters have been
I guess that in many cases modern and experimental music is about asking
this question: "What is music?". Modern music might not be the answer,
but atleast it provokes questions. Although music might sound noise,
because it is not basing on tradional melodic aesthetics, but it still
can have easthetics of its own. Consider Ligeti for example.
--
cytrus: streams from seweries of aboa to floods of aura
http://mp3.com/cytrus
A4ne1
technology.
It's ironic that most of what I hear of today harkens back to last century.
Goes to show how stuff like John Cage's "William Mix", Steve Reich's "It's
gonna rain" and 1970's Hip Hop was truly avant garde.
Power on,
AgentA
http://www.mp3.com/agnate