What makes great composers tick? How do they get their ideas? Will their music live on or be forgotten? All curious questions for sure. Benjamin Britten, the exquisite melodist, wrote in an older vein with contemporary harmonic language. Known more for his vocal works, his instrumental works are clever, charming, and full of vibrancy of orchestration and rhythmic energy. We listened to Peter Grimes and Young Person's Guide both of which are nice representations of his style. Unfortunately Britten does not seem to be faring well in the professional world and aside from some choral works is rarely heard. Still his music is inventive, lyrical, energetic, and bold.
Stravinsky, on the other hand, continues to be performed at a high rate. We need to remember his three distinct styles and periods--early ballets of rich color, primitivism, rhythmic, and experimental; Neoclassicism of traditional forms, sounds, harmony, and clean balance; Serialism of the last few years invoking the 12-tone row and various ordered systems of composing. His music, regardless of which phase you are hearing, is uniquely his with a clean, strident approach that seems calculated yet wonderfully creative at the same time.
Using parallelism, exotic rhythms, harshness, and unpredictable shifts, Stravinsky's music seems to be standing the test of time. While some of it may fall into obscurity, most seems to stand on its own. His output includes ballets, chamber music, choral music, piano music, and theatrical elements. Quite a gifted composer and worth a lifetime of study.
Thanks to Charles and Kris for their reports. We now wrap up this class. Time to ask questions and get everything learned!
It's been a great semester.
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What is the Naxos Music Library everyone keeps referring to? I know Naxos is a music label but did HPU recently aquire a great amount of their catalog or something?
ReplyDeleteForgot to tell you the site: www.naxosmusiclibrary.com
ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions; I am not exactly sure what makes great composers tick. I think one has to become great to fully comprehend what goes on in their head. I know that I am no composer but that doesn't mean that I don't have the soundtrack to my life playing through my head. At the same time, I doubt anyone would understand my train of thought. Our minds are a stream of consiousness, sometimes we say thoughts outloud and other times we "censor" them depending on the public or the company. I think some composers use music as an outlet and they censor nothing. Their music is a direct example of their train of thought. Whether their music is joyful and bright or dark and sad. It is said that everyone thinks differently; each person has their strong suits. I would like to say the same for musicians.
ReplyDeleteIt goes without saying that someone can acknowledge a composer for their contributions to the music realm, but to be a person that everyone can agree on is an achievement in itself. Each person has their own style that they prefer, but for a composer to dive into each genre successfully and have popularity, could that possibly be what makes them remembered? Or could it be a single style that they are known for most? Maybe it all has to do with an individual's preference and in the end we choose who to remember. I think I am rambling...
I get it! you can delete it now.
ReplyDeleteAs far as why composers write what they do, there is another possibility. I've been reading this book by Nigel Cawthorne titled, "Sex Lives of the Great Composers". Here's part of the introduction addressing your initial question about composers and what makes them tick and do what they do.
"When we listen to their music today, we are voyeurs in the fantasy world of the great composers. They speak directly to our emotions. And our emotions are the stuff of our sexuality - and of our very life it self."
he goes on to say:
"Most of the great composers presented here (in the book), as in life are men. Psychologists say that men produce great music - and, for that matter, great writing, great art, great science and great thought - as a way of showing off to women. And the more they show it off the better. The great music, of whatever variety, that fills our CD collections is the result."
don't share that last part with Oliva or Rebecca Clark. The last part of the intro states:
"So, if we compare our own sex lives to those of the great composers, we can take comfort from the fact that our sex lives are not quite such the disaster areas we thought. It is just that the great composer's disaster areas have a better soundtrack."
-Nigel Cawthorne
As absurd as this primitive reduction of music to a machismic expression of love is, I think it is in part true. Sometimes. All you need to do is listen to modern Rap or R&B ballads; or any vocal genre for that matter. Listen to Ludacris' new song "Sex Room".
I read a biography on Bill Evans (Bill, not Gil) written by a friend that knew him closely during Evans' life. The author recounts how Bill went through some of the most traumatizing events a man can suffer (death of Scott LaFaro, herion addiction). I believe that he used the piano and his compositions that he created as an escape.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he was known for using Impressionistic qualities in his music, borrowing many chords and their voicings from that era. Evans took standard tunes and made them harmonically, melodically, and rhythmically interesting in a way that no one had done before. He was inspired by previous composers from a completely different genre of music in his music.
I believe that events in life give composers something to say, and I also believe that composers who have already blazed trails in music give inspiration to new generations of musicians, igniting a fire in them to write more compositions.
Again, Naxos is amazing.
Naxos Jazz is even better.
I think sex has an influence but it is limited. After four children I find much more inspiration from the wonder at which they approach life. As most of you will find out, there is a limit to the inspiration of physical intimacy and a whole, whole lot more to resource from the wonder of life.
ReplyDeletei think what makes the really great composers tick is their ability to feel and imagine.
ReplyDelete