Musical Terrorism

[unknown-user]

Sorry, I don’t buy any of it. The “hostility” you are reading here is the direct result of enduring hours of experimental, conceptual “music” that contains little or no actual music. It has nothing to do with “accessibility.” We can listen to a beautiful composer like Hans Werner Henze, or even abstract constructors of music like Andrzej Panufnik (Universal Prayer), or the music of Ami Maayani. As a composer, I utterly reject the notion that composers have to be driven to write about nonmusical subjects. Music expresses an entire universe in the simplest of language, if you have the mastery to write it. What really makes me sad is when conceptual “artists” gobble up the limited grant money to create what are little more than exalted school show-and-tell projects, perhaps an American genre of education, not necessarily applying to you.

“Write what you know, write today’s music”, are two useless canards that have been used by the uninspired to write gobs of musical gook, in my view. To me, music is timeless, and has nothing to do with industrial-age, post-industrial notions of

[unknown-user]

Dear Lavinia

So sorry I missed the premiere.

[unknown-user]

The Dutch ladies music probably wasn’t intended to sound good.

[Christian Frederick]

G.G. wrote:

“She shows the irony of the harp, an instrument of the wealthy and noble…”

Well… I am neither wealthy or noble, so obviously this person is not talking about me or my music…. I’d like to know which harpists who contribute to this forum are wealthy and noble…..

[unknown-user]

Has anyone ever met a harpist who was wealthy and

[unknown-user]

“In Scandinavia the harp was viewed as an instrument for noblemen only. A commoner found to play the harp was condemned to death.” -http://www.harp4joy.com/history.html

Obviously I was just giving a harpist stereotype and this stereotype isn’t true 100 percent of the time unfortunately for us.

[Kathleen Elarte]

Christian wrote: “I’d like to know which harpists who contribute to this forum are wealthy and noble….. <IMG style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: text-bottom" height=19 alt= src=”http://www.harpcolumn.com/resources/forums/smile.gif&#8221; width=19>”

Well, I’d like to lay claim to this. I am both independently wealthy and exceedingly noble.

[catherine-rogers]

Ye gods! (Zenetta Shinn, the Mayor’s daughter–The Music Man)

[Christian Frederick]

Catherine, I second the motion “Ye gods!”

At this moment, I’m very happy to have my humble 1960’s ranch home, drive my three year old mini-van, have health insurance, and I get to pick and choose my friends. I guess that makes me a wealthy man.

[catherine-rogers]

I don’t know about “noble” but I think anyone who has his health and isn’t in prison is rich.

[unknown-user]

Do you have

[Kathleen Elarte]

Yes, Saul, Ottawa IS beautiful. Life is good. It is known as a Big city with a Small Town feel.

[David Ice]

I was talking to a friend who is a composer/arranger today.

[Kathleen Elarte]

Hi everyone,

Article No. 97 was written tongue-in-cheek. I am neither disgustingly wealthy nor exceedingly noble, least of all, a slum landlady!!! ~

[unknown-user]

I’ve seen some harp vulgarity: slit skirts up the thigh, posing to show off anatomy, oh for the days of dignity.

[Author]

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