Of all the species it appears that Man (I use the term in a gender inclusive sense) is the only one that can sing. We say that birds "sing" because we have no way of knowing whether their "song" is really a part of their language. The creation of music is said to go back as far a prehistoric man and maybe beyond that. The use of the voice for other than speech and the banging on a hollow log seems to have been with us, well, forever. There are many reference to music in ancient Greek and Roman writings as well as Biblical references but we have no way of knowing what music was produced because there was no common form of notation. The Chinese had a form of music notation over 5,000 years aga and much of their ancient music has been preserved. For the rest of us music notation started with Church music and can be seen on many parchment representations of chants that the Church wanted to preserve. The idea that music was a function of time did not appear until much later. In later chants we see the insertion of "bars" that delimit the rhythm of the music as well as its melody line. Modern music only evolved when music broke away from the Church and was allowed to flourish as secular works. An almost exact parallel can be seen in the development of painting and the arts.
Why bring this up now? Because I have been listening to music almost all my life. My musical interests are mostly based in classical music but I have had a fair exposure to jazz, rock, hip hop and other forms of popular music forms. I grew up during the 'forties when swing was in full swing and lived through the 'fifties and the development of rock and roll, heavy metal, disco and other musical formats. But my main interest is in classical music. The question is why have I been listening to dead composers' works over and over again? Why does it give me pleasure. I can listen to almost all other forms of music including Lady Gaga but the music does not stay with me. Not the way Mozart or Beethoven does.
For most people music is their life motif. They can remember the songs that were played when they were courting, when they married, etc. Because this is closely associated with life events the musical reference is lost as one moves on in life. It may come back as nostalgia but how many tmes can you listen to Blue Suede Shoes and find it fulfilling. Also, even in its most complex forms pop music is highly formulaic. Popular music was crafted so that it's three minutes duration could fit nicely on a 78 vynl record. It has not changed much.
The issue comes down to complexity. Gregorian chant did not have to be complex. Even harmony was disallowed because it distracted from the word of God. When Church musicians convinced with higher ups that music could beautify the word of God did music progress to become more complex. By then the cat was out of the bag. Secular music was not far off.
Because of limitations placed on travel the ability to listen to some one else's music was difficult. Think of what European music might have been if it had been exposed to African drumming where rhythms were highly complex. However insular European music was the composers of the day had to come up with complexities that would keep the listener interested. So we have slow-fast-slow musical forms. We have the devlopment of harmony and counterpoint--that is two melodies played against each other such that each "line" compliments the other. At one point these counterpoint tricks (kuntzen in German) were so prevalent that the original melody was almost entirely obscured. To make any sense of this Bach came along and, once and for all, laid down the rules by which this music form would be composed and played. I have always believed that Bach was the foundation on which others built their musical ideas. This complexity grew through Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and through the romantic composers.
So what binds me to these dead composers. It is the complexity and the sheer beauty of these works that are as convincing an art form as they were when they were first composed. It takes an investment of time and effort to try and understand these works. It's like coming upon a great painting. At first you see the simple beauty of the work. But if you look closer you see the intricacies of the work. There are some works of Beethoven that I will probably never understand fully. And yet I keep listening because each time I hear the work some small but ingenious part is revealed. This can't be said of a song by Lady Gaga. In 3-4 minutes the music is done and there is nothing left to rediscover. The music industry thrives on it because, otherwise, no new popular music would be sold. I can listen to a Bach fugue hundreds of times and learn something new every time.
In Europe young people are coming back to classical music. In North America the attention span of young people can't clamp on long enough to get an appreciation of the music. Some music is so overwhelming emotional that even young people can't excape the beauty. However, most classical concerts are populated by older people. Very few are young. The young are enticed with "pop" concerts but very little of these initiatives have been translated to increased audiences. Young people would rather pay $100 to be entertained by U2. But will anyone be listening to U2 in 100 years?
Bernie.
I was forced to listen to classical music all the years I was growing up. No one explained complexities or things I could learn from it. Instead, I was forced to listen to it in the car and associate it with motion sickness, forced to play it on the piano when it had no meaning for me. To this day, I can't listen to it without getting sick to my stomach- and because of lack of variation of what I could learn on the piano, I left that behind as soon as I was able.
ReplyDeleteMy children learned from their father's side of the family what kind of music was played as people marched into the gates of concentration camps.
On the other hand, rock music gives me great satisfaction. There are artists who bring out feelings within me that can take me to a place of relaxation, a place of comfort or raise my spirits when they are low. There is country music that speaks to the heart and family and God. There is New Age like Yanni- that gives a feeling of overall well being. There is big band that has made a comeback with singers such as Michael Buble. Rock won't die. The fact is that songs played in the early 60s and 70s are played on the radio daily. That young people show up at concerts performed by 70s bands knowing every song ( take the Bluesfest in Ottawa) and were probably brought up on the music- like my children- with explanation and love for it. New rock band idolize those that came before them and add their own twist to the music to keep alive Perhaps U-2 might not be around in 1000 years but I can almost guarantee that neither my children nor grandchildren will ever think of classical as a music worth listening to.