Concert Venues

On close examination, you see that it is the way society absorbs a thing; the way the tiger is defanged. It is another useful illusion from society’s toolbox of illusions. All through my school years, I had to put up with this prattle about ‘ serious music,’ and ‘pop music.’ Oh sure, I bought into it a bit, at first. But one only has to question the status quot.

first of all, we all know what it means, this business of ‘pop music’ and ‘ serious music.’ It depends a lot on what side of the fence you’re sitting on, of course. If you’re a ‘ serious performer,’ ‘ serious music’ is ‘ good,’ and ‘pop’ music is ‘bad.’ Of course we all know that ‘ serious music’ will make you no resources. Why? Because it’s ‘ good,’ of course, and the majority of people don’t know about ‘ good.’ They only pay for music that’s ‘bad.’

Now to be fair, if you’re on the other side of this specific fence, ‘ serious music’ is ‘boring,’ ( that’s bad) and pop music is ‘cool.’ ( That’s ‘ nice ‘). Further, this historically speaking, has tended to be ‘radical’ and ‘revolutionary.’

‘Serious music?’ Part of the establishment.

It’s necessary to reflect on the political demographics implied by these distinctions in music. They are fairly undeniable, when you stop to think about it, but it’s exhilarating that the majority individuals toss these distinctions about without a second thought. From these two easy musical types, you may effortlessly build up profiles of the listener’s politics, religion, average income and so on and so on. individuals do plot these demographics. Not the listeners, but the individuals who are in the business of sales and marketing.

Still, as you might suspect, all these demographics are bound and held in place by belief systems that are spun on half truths, exaggeration and out right fantasy.

Even ‘ meaningful ‘ musicians have allowed themselves to be saddled with ridiculous myths and caricature profiles of past composers, much to their personal detriment and decline of the tradition. Most of these folks, who ought to know better, have been content with whatever historical spin has been handed down.

This kind of thinking has drained the necessary ity out of the tradition. Take just the idea that composers like Beethoven and Mozart weren’t actually popular until following their death. Th isn’t ion has bred a mentality that has said whatever it establishes is too wonderful for present day audiencess and it must unending ly establish for some, undefined, superior future audiences. This additionally conveniently isolates it from any criticism of what’s going on.

In point of fact, Beethoven was acknowledged as the biggest living composer in his own lifetime. The city of Vienna, an historically vital center of culture in Europe, paid the man to live there. As far as being ‘radical’ or ‘revolutionary,’ well, let’s see; all of us have Beethoven dedicating his third symphony to the leader of the French Revolution. all of us have Hector Berlioz composing an enduring masterpiece while stoned on opium.

We have premiers of famous classical works prefer Bolero and the Rite of Spring that were either banned or caused a riot. This list goes on and on.

And what of this hoary chestnut that demonstrates pop music is a lesser discipline? Anyone with a musical ear can tell you that there’s been plenty of wonderful ‘pop music.’ And why not? a lot of of these artists, like Elton John, went to music school. They’re ‘ serious artists.’ So why this wonderful deceit? The the majority clear suspect is the music business, but it is clear by now, that they have no idea what they’re doing either.

No, the deeper reality is that, as long as there has been a culture in the western hemisphere, there has been a counter culture. All this business of counter culture, that supposedly began in the sixties, didn’t.

How far back does it go? Well. Richard Wagner, in his early days, has been part of a free love movement in Ger many and his first opera has been called ‘Forbidden Love,’ and it has little to do with rings of power or Teutonic nymphs.

It’s an opera that Wagner, later in his life, professed that he’d like to forget about, and, well, we are just not going to let him. I will deal with culture and its twin, counter culture in subsequent articles.