Friday, February 25, 2005
hitting a nerve
I suspect I really hit a nerve with the last post, given the number of comments. I think that's a good thing-it's important to have an open, free discussion, which I think is a great benefit of a blog.
There are composers who feel that it's appropriate to write music only other composers are likely to appreciate (the WH Auden model). That's fine.
And there are those who feel music composition is a business; to paraphrase one comment, composers sell "notational music" and should do something to attract consumers. That's also fine.
And apparently there are composers who are content to write music for themselves, with the desire that others listen, but that is not the primary objective. And that's fine too.
While my preference is the third one, that's not to say any one approach is valid for everyone. As a corollary, one can have many people who admire his or her music, and that shouldn't suggest that the music is inferior. In addition, one's music could be liked only by a small crowd of people, if at all, and that doesn't mean the music is bad either. I'm not sure there is a definite relation between one's audience and the quality of one's music. Besides, quality is subjective. I never understood how one "wins" a composition contest. How can any work of art be objectively judged, anyway? Would a Botticelli beat out a Kandinsky because Botticelli is more intricate and detailed? Should Two Pages by Philip Glass be judged inferior to a lavish orchestral work by Wagner because the latter is more complex? Why judge at all, in terms of which works should win contests? Isn't it all subjective anyway?
posted by David Toub
3:54 PM
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