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musician on music
musician, age 24, plays music, writes music, writes about music and other things
Created on 2007-12-05 19:04:15 (#14398649), last updated 2008-05-12
103 comments received, 53 comments posted
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Basic Info| Name: | musicianonmusic |
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BioTHE SHORT VERSION
Musician, age 24. Plays music, writes music, writes about music and other things.
THE LONG VERSION
This all started when I was a classical music student at The Juilliard School writing a dissertation on the history, work and influences of Björk. I was previewing tracks from her album 'Medúlla' at the now defunct Tower Records across from Lincoln Center and my mind started to wander. Why was an album that had more in common with the vocal works of György Ligeti positioned inches away from Britney Spears? To even get to a Ligeti recording involved an escalator and a nearly soundproof set of doors designed to clearly delineate "Classical Music" from literally everything else. Even within that isolated part of the store, Ligeti sits inches from Franz Liszt. And I began to wonder why, in an era where it is easily possible to download two disparate pieces of music in seconds, is the music appreciating public so comparatively restrictive in their own musical tastes?
I'm more than a little bit tired of the non-musician critics, media, and music executives who at best apply vague labels and restrictive definitions to music. Too often they simultaneously hide their lack of actual musicianship behind florid prose. Frequently, I see these labels and definitions set up as artificial boundaries to allow for easier public consumption. I maintain that this taxonomy and the contrived authority with which it is enforced is harmful to real musicians, real music lovers, and real music - a living and evolving art form. By "real" I don't mean "classical," I mean "honest."
Of course, everyone has a right to experience and reflect upon music in their own way. And obviously the problem isn't the labeling/defining itself - but the way that it's done. I'm just here to help correct the balance between the glut of non-musicians exhorting boundaries to make their interpretation of music profitable, and the musicians who create music despite these boundaries. I work towards an admittedly idealistic future in which music of any genre is critiqued and appreciated by the quality of its intent, affect and execution; as opposed to by its perceived place within an uselessly categorically divided culture.
Musician, age 24. Plays music, writes music, writes about music and other things.
THE LONG VERSION
This all started when I was a classical music student at The Juilliard School writing a dissertation on the history, work and influences of Björk. I was previewing tracks from her album 'Medúlla' at the now defunct Tower Records across from Lincoln Center and my mind started to wander. Why was an album that had more in common with the vocal works of György Ligeti positioned inches away from Britney Spears? To even get to a Ligeti recording involved an escalator and a nearly soundproof set of doors designed to clearly delineate "Classical Music" from literally everything else. Even within that isolated part of the store, Ligeti sits inches from Franz Liszt. And I began to wonder why, in an era where it is easily possible to download two disparate pieces of music in seconds, is the music appreciating public so comparatively restrictive in their own musical tastes?
I'm more than a little bit tired of the non-musician critics, media, and music executives who at best apply vague labels and restrictive definitions to music. Too often they simultaneously hide their lack of actual musicianship behind florid prose. Frequently, I see these labels and definitions set up as artificial boundaries to allow for easier public consumption. I maintain that this taxonomy and the contrived authority with which it is enforced is harmful to real musicians, real music lovers, and real music - a living and evolving art form. By "real" I don't mean "classical," I mean "honest."
Of course, everyone has a right to experience and reflect upon music in their own way. And obviously the problem isn't the labeling/defining itself - but the way that it's done. I'm just here to help correct the balance between the glut of non-musicians exhorting boundaries to make their interpretation of music profitable, and the musicians who create music despite these boundaries. I work towards an admittedly idealistic future in which music of any genre is critiqued and appreciated by the quality of its intent, affect and execution; as opposed to by its perceived place within an uselessly categorically divided culture.
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