91–100 of 185 posts
I discovered Philip Glass' music through the movie Koyaanisqatsi, which I heartily recommend. If you haven't seen it, go into it without expectations of what a movie is supposed to be like; it's weird.
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Unrelated anecdote, but I once went to a 3 hour John Cage concert. Genuinely awful, and about as thought provoking as a piece of cardboard. That was avant-garde, apparently.
Yes, John Cage is probably the most well-known "avant-garde" composer. Calling music by this term communicates a powerful judgment about its place in musical history. And it is simply, unavoidably incorrect. It has nothing to do with the music itself - it has to do with his musical process and how it jives with the basic musical environment of his time. If the whole musical world were like John Cage, Philip Glass's w…
I struggled and read a lot to understand the foundations of modern art. I found a lot of the intellectual constructions very unconvincing contrivances. I imagine I'd feel the same way about such compositions; an area in which I am certainly a neophyte
I discovered Philip Glass' music through the movie Koyaanisqatsi, which I heartily recommend. If you haven't seen it, go into it without expectations of what a movie is supposed to be like; it's weird.
IMHO Baraka and Samsara are much more realized versions of the idea behind Koyaanisqatsi.
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It's strange to believe that you know what people undergo during something as subjective as a sensory experiment. No matter your expertise, you can never really know how another person is perceiving their reality. We're all given a set of senses and a brain to explore the world in our own way. It will not be the same from one individual to the next. If some people are looking to be soothed by music, while others are…
> does that give one group an authority on taste What the hell? I never made any such comment on the subjective experiences of listeners. You can enjoy music and know it's "junk food." I like listening to plenty of bad music. I don't judge anyone for what they enjoy. To call Philip Glass a master of his domain, a rightfully-celebrated contributor to Western art music, or any of this other crap - that's what I take is…
It was impossible to read your post as anything other than "I am a learned connoisseur and the unwashed masses are all fools".
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors#2010s
[2] https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/12/st-vincent-tribute-ph...
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That's nice, but none of those references speak to the idea that Philip Glass is avant-garde. They simply (and inaccurately) apply this label to him, mainly because they're mainstream sources that do not actually cover Western art music.
I'm interested; what's the definition of avant-garde as defined by the Western art music world?
So in those terms, Beethoven was at one point "avant-garde" in that his some of his compositions were so strikingly progressive compared to those of his contemporaries that they stood out. They were "at the front" of musical innovation in that sense.
John Cage started to compose music that intentionally and radically diverted from the trajectory of traditional western art music, so that was considered "avant-garde," although it was so influential, that I'd say much of it has become "canonized" in a way that performing it isn't really innovative of "edgy" in the way it was at it's original reception.
Today I think it's hard to pin down because there aren't really any established traditions that composers are breaking away from like they were at the cusp between the 19th and 20th centuries. I've seen and performed pieces for amplified fluorescent light bulbs, 4 screaming men in loin clothes, and for a solo performer articulating gestures in ASL to a pre-recorded musical track. None of it was scandalous, and some of it was quite good.
I saw Glass at a performing arts center in my hometown. The PAC has a lot of season ticket holders, and Glass' music triggered an older attendee to march to the front of the auditorium and yell, "this isn't music". He was quickly ushered out by his wife, but Glass was noticeably smirking, and the whole thing really added to the avant garde vibe of the performance. Amazing concert BTW. One of my favorite artists.
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Yes, John Cage is probably the most well-known "avant-garde" composer. Calling music by this term communicates a powerful judgment about its place in musical history. And it is simply, unavoidably incorrect. It has nothing to do with the music itself - it has to do with his musical process and how it jives with the basic musical environment of his time. If the whole musical world were like John Cage, Philip Glass's w…
Yes indeed. A lady playing a cactus was the point at which we decided to take our leave, around the 3 hour mark. I struggled and read a lot to understand the foundations of modern art. I found a lot of the intellectual constructions very unconvincing contrivances. I imagine I'd feel the same way about such compositions; an area in which I am certainly a neophyte
I don't think it would convince you to enjoy his work, but I found it to be a really good read, regardless!
https://www.amazon.com/Begin-Again-Biography-John-Cage/dp/08...
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Many people do not realize that they do not "listen" to music. They simply put it on for background ambiance, to do other things. And before anyone feels further offended, please see this [0] post from 30 minutes ago on HN that completely proves my point made in the previous post. > I think to this day its great background music for programming work Philip Glass wrote his music to be heard in the concert hall. Very f…
I saw two performances of Einstein on the Beach during its revival. Glass intended it to be like Indian classical theater where you can get up and walk around whenever you want. I stayed except for a bathroom break, while friends left to smoke. I think Glass was trying to make a state of mind, not just have people hanging onto every note. Even during Mozart’s time, opera was such a social event that people complained…
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Criticizing the work is one thing. Trying to bully people for finding beauty where you can't is kinda childish.
Many people do not realize that they do not "listen" to music. They simply put it on for background ambiance, to do other things. And before anyone feels further offended, please see this [0] post from 30 minutes ago on HN that completely proves my point made in the previous post. > I think to this day its great background music for programming work Philip Glass wrote his music to be heard in the concert hall. Very f…