Composers Forum is a daily web log that allows invited contemporary composers to share their thoughts and ideas on any topic that interests them--from the ethereal, like how new music gets created, music history, theory, performance, other composers, alive or dead, to the mundane, like getting works played and recorded and the joys of teaching. If you're a professional composer and would like to participate, send us an e-mail.
Record companies, artists and publicists are invited to submit CDs to be considered for review. Send to: Jerry Bowles, Editor, Sequenza 21, 340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019
New topic: should all composers be in the profession?
Quick new topic: should composers be "professional composers" (ie, they derive thier income, or at least strive to, from the sale of their compositions)? Do they have to be "in the business" or can they, like Ives, be in other professions? Can they be taken seriously as composers if they are not in the business? Reverse this: is it optimal for composers to write what they want and not be constrained by the need to obtain revenue?
I say this as someone who does not have an interest in making money on his music (everything is royalty free. as under a creative commons license).
Should it matter if one is a businessperson, doctor, lawyer, etc? William Carlos Williams was also a good obstetrician/gynecologist yet he's best known as a great poet.
posted by David Toub
4:36 PM
