I couldn't agree more with Leslie Edwards!
1.) A lot of any new art will fall away as "unmemorable" and what becomes a treasured classic is chosen by time, luck and perhaps to a certain extent you and me spreading enough recordings around today. That's why our favorite composers tend to be long gone. (Not all of us, of course.) Composing for our own small ensembles is the best way to proceed today.
2. ) Without a refresh of the "common practice period" of classical music, most Americans today have no idea HOW to use "sonatas," or other music without singers. My CutTime compositions address this using familiar elements of blues, pop, hip-hop, gospel, rock, etc.. Plus they feature good melodies, counterpoint and common development techniques like key modulations. It's possible to acculturate new listeners, even in bars and clubs.
3.) The value of diversity is that the marketable ideas are available to mix in, willingly or not. As an AA, I've appropriated classical music just as rock was appropriated from my roots. You have more advantage to exploit it better regardless, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up.
It is really quite a dilemma. How do we balance the grand old tradition with the brave new world? As a black, classical composer who attended CIM and then worked decades in orchestras, I can assure readers that the only practical answer is BOTH: we must continue standard program and performance practices WHILE we develop experimental new programs and even experimental services that refashion the old tools so they work for broader demographics. Not only is it possible and available nearby, but it would create jobs for many of the top conservatory grads. New ensembles that focus on presenting new music or underrepresented composers/musicians, such as Sphinx, CutTime or ICE, should be 3rd-party partners with TCO to relieve them from deviating from their purpose of preserving the established, inspiration, European tradition. With their blessing, we can build an American tradition that complements the European.
Recent Comments
1.) A lot of any new art will fall away as "unmemorable" and what becomes a treasured classic is chosen by time, luck and perhaps to a certain extent you and me spreading enough recordings around today. That's why our favorite composers tend to be long gone. (Not all of us, of course.) Composing for our own small ensembles is the best way to proceed today.
2. ) Without a refresh of the "common practice period" of classical music, most Americans today have no idea HOW to use "sonatas," or other music without singers. My CutTime compositions address this using familiar elements of blues, pop, hip-hop, gospel, rock, etc.. Plus they feature good melodies, counterpoint and common development techniques like key modulations. It's possible to acculturate new listeners, even in bars and clubs.
3.) The value of diversity is that the marketable ideas are available to mix in, willingly or not. As an AA, I've appropriated classical music just as rock was appropriated from my roots. You have more advantage to exploit it better regardless, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up.