tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24357983.post949874825649800274..comments2023-09-29T06:23:36.529-04:00Comments on visionsong: have you got to be post-modernistic?pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14001926868098126125noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24357983.post-22750274023227215532007-07-18T10:42:00.000-04:002007-07-18T10:42:00.000-04:00Part of what we're running into with the whole Pom...Part of what we're running into with the whole Pomo thing is semantics. "Postmodern" was originally, I believe, a term from literature, and basically dealt with the critique of "common sense". In other words, why do we accept one thing as normal, and another thing as abnormal. Postmodernism says, "Well, we only accept something as normal because somewhere along the line, we just all agreed that it was. If we go back to that moment of acceptance and examine why, we'll find that it was basically an arbitrary decision, or it was based on some primitive or unenlightened reason." The classic example of this is of course in gender studies. Why is heterosexuality the norm and not homosexuality? Pomo says, because its an arbitrary construct. We could have decided differently at some point. And you can see where a career can be made augmenting and arguing that point.<BR/><BR/>So... once a term is applied to one art form, immediately someone wants to apply it to the others. What's postmodern about music, or jazz itself? I can see where you're at odds with pomo in music, because you hold to the romantic construct of music having intrinsic value (please indulge me in being a factitious devil's advocate for a moment). Pomo says, "What does authenticity have to do with music? How can any music be considered authentic, unless it's held to an arbitrary set of standards?" Our common sense might say, but wait, there is good music and bad music, right? No, not necessarily. Whatever criterion you use to judge music by must be <I>deconstructed</I>, to see if there's any real reason why those standards should apply.<BR/><BR/>Hence, TBP can use Nirvana as surely as Gershwin, because Gershwin's tunes do not have intrinsically more value than Nirvana's. Zorn can make an album out of a collage of short, disparate materials, because a overarching narrative or coherence is not intrinsically better than stream-of-consciousness.<BR/><BR/>Aaaaand, minimalism, which generally avoids dramatic tension building to a climactic moment, is considered Pomo because (among other reasons) it generally simply unfolds, there one minute and gone the next, because why not? Freed from the need to relentlessly drive toward a momentous goal, minimalism can explore ideas which were once considered less important, or at least subservient (such as rhythm).<BR/><BR/>(Ironically, John Adams, who seems to be the most comfortable with the term minimalism - more than Glass or Reich - has no problem with exploring rhythm or driving toward an orchestral peak)<BR/><BR/>Regarding "What touches her" - what does that mean, really? Emotionally moved? Common sense would say so... but we're running into that ol' wall again. Why is having your emotions manipulated by music good thing, anyway? How can you really relate to a stranger singing, or playing music - isn't this simply a construct of our culture? Why not <I>deconstruct</I> "The Man I Love", repeating it for 35 minutes, completely flat and without emotion , in other words, let the song simply be itself, and let the chips fall where they may? Isn't that just as good as the "authentic" way?<BR/><BR/>OK, factitious mode off. Like in any other -ism, there are some geniuses who can, in fact, make it work beautifully, as well as those who make it a stereotype. It's true that taken to its logical extreme, Pomo is dangerous artistically and socially - but so is modernism, romanticism, classicism, etc. It's the mark of a great artist/musician to understand the implications, and not go to the extreme, but find the balance. It is no accident, I think, that Adams is the most frequently-played composer today. He understands that we are free to study and use from all the -isms, taking the best and leaving the dead ends.<BR/><BR/>Good discussion.Russell Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11469966915775596117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24357983.post-69124062412472613442007-07-17T15:22:00.000-04:002007-07-17T15:22:00.000-04:00I'm probably less well-versed in post-modernism th...I'm probably less well-versed in post-modernism than you are, but I'd never understood the "lack of intrinsic value" to mean that things and people were worthless, but rather that all value was culturally/historically generated, rather than a given.<BR/><BR/>You can also use a staunch belief in intrinsic value to justify any number of heinous crimes, examples aren't hard to find nowadays...Moandji Ezanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01507510837237294496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24357983.post-10312334855852421862007-07-17T15:17:00.000-04:002007-07-17T15:17:00.000-04:00Actually, Agossi is saying that she loves Holiday,...Actually, Agossi is saying that she loves Holiday, it's the followers who reproduce the style who don't move her.Moandji Ezanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01507510837237294496noreply@blogger.com