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Originally Posted by jujimufu
Harry Partch, created a whole new kind of music, with new scales, instruments, harmonies, everything.
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Yeah, speaking of ear, brain, and culture as the givens for music... Microtonality is very interesting to me because studies have shown that people who grow up in music cultures with more microtonal elements (e.g. Hindustani music) can hear smaller pitch intervals - so it's clearly a culture thing. As Western music becomes more open to the possibilities it may be that people will appreciate Partch more
I know other people have written pieces for the diamond marimba.
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But then, with the commodities that the 20th century offers, people reside in what they're used to, and they refuse to go for any change, refuse to do something different, because they feel safe and sound where they are, and because they have that ability.
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I think it's more that in the 21st century there are more composers offering more variety and reaching to a greater audience than ever before. People aren't limiting themselves to one kind of music, rather they have more choices and they are choosing some kinds and ignoring other kinds. It's not necessarily that they are favoring neoRomanticism and minimalism and disdaining, say, strict serialism. It's more about style than school... I brought up Don Davis earlier as an example of a composer who uses modern techniques with a very accessible style.
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So, in perspective, things are going damn fast towards an acceptance for diversity in arts altogether despite certain regimes or attitudes against it, nobody can really stop it.
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I think music is undergoing / has undergone a schism, just like art, sculpture, film, you name it.
There is a group that is mostly based in academia, for which anything and everything goes and they don't give a damn if anyone appreciates it, or thinks it's a joke, or what.
And there is a group that is commercially focused, and creates what people "want to hear," sometimes leading the way and stretching people's ears and sometimes just pandering and selling schlock.
Both groups have their pros and cons
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it does seem like you're actually condemning people who don't like "modern" music as ignorant, uneducated listeners.
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Well, the Cage supporters are right that we should approach everything with an open ear. But if I DID approach it with an open ear, and DO understand what Cage was trying to communicate, and DID think about the questions he raised, but still think the piece is very bad as music, then what? Then, usually, I still get accused of not understanding it
Prokofiev is probably my favorite composer, you can like him or loathe him but I'm not going to accuse anyone of not grasping his genius
