From: Steven Catanzaro (stevencatanzaro@sprintmail.com)
Date: Sun Oct 13 2002 - 23:11:49 CEST
the one and only dj tbird wrote
> the whole point of doing "art music" is you're not
> supposed to be fettered by popular taste. it should
> be about moving the form forward.
well, i think this is more of a 20th century notion than anything else. it
never would've occurred to someone like mozart that they should compose
music that people wouldn't like, because that's how he made his money,
giving concerts to people. (and, contrary to generally held opinion, mozart
made decent money... he just spent too much.)
but in the 20th century, you had two significant things happen.
a) popular songwriters started to make tons of money, with the inception of
ascap (and later bmi) royalties. this royalty structure was not known to
18th and 19th century artists, who were limited to giving concerts, selling
their music to a publisher (one time only) and perhaps having a patron.
b) "art" composers started to depend on universities for their income. all
but a handful of 20th century classical composers were teachers at a
university someplace.
now, people who are getting paid salaries in universities are expected to
works, but they have the liberty of not caring whether or not anyone listens
to them. in fact, it is much more prestigious, in university circles, for
your work to be lauded by the cognescenti (i.e., other professors of
composition) than by the general public.
but i CAN name you some 20th century composers who's work has endured the
test of time and was popular in their day as well.
Maurice Ravel
Claude Debussy
George Gershwin
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
and, in our day right now, you've got Henryk Gorecki and Arvo Paart selling
lots of albums.
NONE of those guys depend, or depended, primarily on university salaries for
their income. and guess what? the hoi poloi, the bourgeoisie, or whatever
other disparaging term is used for the ignorant masses... actually LIKED
their music.
imagine that....
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