The Romantic Manifesto and Music Preferences
I was given The Romantic Manifesto for my birthday, and I was reading the essay "Art and Cognition." As a musician, the section on the nature of music was especially fascinating to me.
"Music is experienced as if it had the power to reach man's emotions directly (41)."
"Music communicates emotions, which one grasps, but does not actually feel; what one feels is a suggestion, a kind of distant, disassociated, depersonalized emotion- until and unless it unites with one's own sense of life (42)."
One of the ideas I was intrigued by most was her statement here:
"Until a conceptual vocabulary is discovered and defined, no objectively valid criterion of esthetic judgement is possible in the field of music (46, italics original)."
This leads me to a question and informal survey for all of you: what is your favorite piece of music (or musician), and what emotions do they inspire in you? How does this unite with your sense of life?
My favorite piece of classical music that I play routinely as a violinist is Bach's E-Major Concerto. It is triumphant, disciplined, and although it goes through some minor sections, it always returns to its wonderful, glorious theme. It makes me feel so alive.
I am expecting a wide range of answers here, since there is no "objective" criterion. (Feel free to discuss this, too - is there, isn't there, how would we define objective criterion, etc.)
"Music is experienced as if it had the power to reach man's emotions directly (41)."
"Music communicates emotions, which one grasps, but does not actually feel; what one feels is a suggestion, a kind of distant, disassociated, depersonalized emotion- until and unless it unites with one's own sense of life (42)."
One of the ideas I was intrigued by most was her statement here:
"Until a conceptual vocabulary is discovered and defined, no objectively valid criterion of esthetic judgement is possible in the field of music (46, italics original)."
This leads me to a question and informal survey for all of you: what is your favorite piece of music (or musician), and what emotions do they inspire in you? How does this unite with your sense of life?
My favorite piece of classical music that I play routinely as a violinist is Bach's E-Major Concerto. It is triumphant, disciplined, and although it goes through some minor sections, it always returns to its wonderful, glorious theme. It makes me feel so alive.
I am expecting a wide range of answers here, since there is no "objective" criterion. (Feel free to discuss this, too - is there, isn't there, how would we define objective criterion, etc.)
Anything by Franz Liszt, especially his 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody. This may be the best version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT36z...
Anything by Rachmaninoff, especially his 3rd Piano Concerto (my father knew him personally)
Anything by Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky
Harlem Nocturne
Puttin' on the Ritz (Taco Okerse version)
Latin American dance music, esp. Tango
Hans Zimmer and John Williams film themes
Anything by Tim Minchin, Australian comedian/satirist/virtuoso pianist/songwriter/poet/atheist. See, for example, "Thank you, God", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZeWP...
* My latest discovery and instant addiction, the Meistersinger Patric Hale that no one here may ever have heard of. He has a classically trained voice and sang in Europe for 27 years, 12 genres in 7 languages, including tenor and baritone arias. His work is not on YouTube but you can hear samples of his legendary genius here:
http://www.gamepuzzles.com/O18NessunD... -- "Nessun Dorma"
http://www.gamepuzzles.com/EP01BlueSu... -- "Blue Suede Shoes" (Tribute to Elvis)
http://www.gamepuzzles.com/BJ14WeDidn... -- "We Didn't Start the Fire"
http://www.gamepuzzles.com/BW15Garden... -- "Garden at Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar
and see his catalog of 400 tracks of songs here: http://www.gamepuzzles.com/caranza.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFl...
http://www.peanuts.com/comicstrips/32...
Fanfare for the Common Man - Aaron Copeland
Ride of the Vallkyries-Wagner
Ritual Fire Dance - DeFalla
Slaughter on 10 Ave.- Richard Rogers
Movies:
Titanic
Gladiator
TV:
Twin Peaks
Rock:
Beck's Bolero - Jeff Beck
All these are emotionally charged for me. Beck's Bolero I can play over and over again.
There are patterns in all kinds of music, many more subtle than casual listeners are aware of. But finding patterns in music doesn't establish objective criteria for music appreciation, especially for the kind of sense of life Ayn Rand referred to. There is much more to jazz in particular and the kinds of emotions it evokes than patterns of notes with mechanical rhythms (though it can sound like that the way some play it).
For the evolution of the sounds of jazz in its various aspects from its beginning in late 19th century America watch the Ken Burns documentary Jazz (which is far better than most of his work, which is increasingly politically propagandistic).
The greatest of the pioneers was Louis Armstrong. Most people don't know much about the nature of jazz or its history, or about Louie in particular, who invented and established at the age of 30 the standard for the jazz solo for a century with his majestic West End Blues in 1928 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W232O... This is where it started. It was his "romantic manifesto". No one had done anything like it before -- and no one has since been able to duplicate what he played in that recording in terms of phrasing, rhythm and tonality projecting his sense of life. It isn't just patterns.
To hear how much Louie added, compare that version of West End Blues with the original composed and recorded by his friend and colleague Joe "King" Oliver a few months before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOVdw...
Armstrong grew up in poverty on the streets of New Orleans, learned to play the cornet in a waif's home, and became through his own inventiveness, dedication and effort an international star making a music that had previously been undreamed of. Many who have heard of him know him mostly for his unfortunate showmanship 'mugging' later in his career, and not for his pioneering accomplishments in the 1920s and 30s. His career is a part of American history not to be missed, especially if you wan to understand the roots of American jazz.
When he recorded West End Blues in 1928 electric recording was only a few years old and lacked the fidelity attained even in the next few years, let alone today, but his sound still shines through. A few years before, those players had been recording into big acoustic horns to transfer the sound pressure waves directly onto a record master with an even muddier sound than the earliest electrics -- with Louie in the back of the room to not overwhelm the balance. Not many years before that it was done with wax cylinders.
This is the 1929 Armstrong recording of St. Louis Blues, supposedly the most recorded blues of all time, but not like this, even by W.C. Handy himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j_Az... "Playing the blues" didn't mean "feeling blue".
Here is an early video capturing both the sound and visual effect of Armstrong's drive in his playing and singing Dinah in Copenhagen in 1933 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhVdL... Watch at the end the way the audience is dressed, as if to emphasize how far back this goes in history.
All of this is a part of American history not to be missed. The jazz and swing of the early 20th century which swept Europe and beyond in another American "shot heard 'round the world" displayed a sense of life that you don't often find in today's music (let alone in its bottom of the rap pit). There is still a lot of talent, and often more instrumental "technique" and theoretical musical knowledge, but not serving the same purpose.
I will also agree with the Yes proponents here; there is an imaginative complexity, layering multiple song-worthy lines, wheels within wheels.
Our national anthemn as music just sits there and says ho hum.
Sibelius's Finlandia makes you you want to jump up salute and brings tears to your eyes. That's what music is all about. Star Spangled Banner may have history but it doesn't gladden the heart and the soul. Finlandia does all of that and serves as a fitting funeral finale
Ode to the Common Man sucks just from the title and is fitting for the new USSA insultingly socialist to the core. i can't imagine as a soldier dying for such cRap.
Bach's Goldberg Variations
Mahler Symphony #1 It was my theme music when I DJ'd classical at U Michigan
Rodrigo "Concierto Heroico" almost everything
Beethoven SOnatas, Sym's # 3,5,9 Chistof von Dohnanyi conducting the Cleveland
BUt I change, Love Rachmannoff Preludes
Casals, Horowitz, Andras Schiff
Texas Swing, Jazz, Bluegrass
Music is the love and feeling of motion and emotion in the body expressed in dance and voice.
Philosophers love music!
JS Bach
Mozart
Wagner
Beethoven
Rolling Stones 40 licks
Bob Seger Hits
ZZ Top Hits
Traveling Wilburys
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Simple Minds: Glittering Prize
Creedence Clearwater Revival (Chron 1)
The Cars: Hits
Roy Orbison: In Dreams: Hits
Movie: Dirty Dancing
Movie: Stand By Me
Movie: The Commitments
AC/DC Back In Black
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
The Who: Best of
Swing Collection (various artists, Benny Goodman et al)
Blondie: Best
Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
2nd South Carolina String Band (Civil War era music)
78th Frazer Highlander Pipe Band (Being Scots Irish I love the pipes!)
George Thorogood and the Destroyers: Baddest of
Jimi Hendrix: The Essential vol 1
Greatest Hits of the 60s Vol 2 (various artists)
The Animals: Best of
Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vita
Three Dog Night: Best of
U2: Joshua Tree
Neil Diamond: Greatest
War: Best of
Elvis Presley: 30 #1 Hits
Ricky Nelson: Greatest Hits
Two months from now the list may be considerably different.
That was such a cool time to be in college. And then Disco came along and ruined it.
Also, listen to some of the 70's Renaissance albums with Annie Haslam's singing. The most beautiful voice I've ever heard.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=s...
Load more comments...