Author: Zach Wegner
Date: 20:57:40 12/22/05
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On December 22, 2005 at 19:32:04, Tord Romstad wrote: >That award goes to Johann Sebastian Bach. Nobody else are close, but >honorable mentions to Scarlatti, Zelenka, Haydn, Mozart and Chopin. *cough*zappa*cough* While I know my tastes in music are definitely not mainstream, I can't help but feel bored when listening to classical music, or most music at all. I enjoy a lot of it (especially Bach), but it is not the kind of music that I can sit down and exclusively listen to. The composers always seem to be writing music to conform to a certain aesthetic, with rules about which notes can be where and what acceptable chord progressions are. Frank Zappa is the person that made me realize what (to me) music is about. While I used to think that music was good if it sounded pleasing to me, if it had a good melody or you could tap your foot to it, I find music to be a much more abstract concept now: an organization of sounds. The sounds can be arranged in ways to evoke certain feelings, feelings that haven't been felt before and bring a sense of connection with the composer. I don't deny that classical composers can do this, but each composition seems to be just a variation on the same feeling, another melody that was composed to fit into the framework of baroque, romantic, or whatever. They never attempt to make you feel unpleasant or strange, but just to be beautiful on the surface so that people can appreciate it even while it's in the backround and they aren't truly listening. Most people cannot listen to music that is atonal, or doesn't have a beat, because it doesn't show its beauty when given a quick listen. Zappa, to me, is the greatest composer that ever lived, because he could take any style of music and create something that was original and interesting and still make a true, heartfelt statement. While I certainly don't want to insult anyone's musical tastes, I'd like for people to listen to some modern music, music that is atonal and you would normally think sounds bad, and really listen to it. Sit down and do nothing but listen. Close your eyes if you have to. You don't have to like it, but you should try to at least connect with it, to understand what the composer was intending to do. Okay, sorry about the rant Tord, I wasn't singling you out, I just have these feelings about society in general, or maybe it's just my Music Theory class telling me the "rules" of composition... :) Regards, Zach
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