Home Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

RE: Thanks for the link, but. . .

That's about when I read it too. I did a search and it looks like it's available from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Emotion-Meaning-Music-Phoenix-Books/dp/0226521397

Did you read the paper on "Music and Information Theory"? I also read it back then. IIRC, it was written after "Emotion and Meaning in Music," after he'd had his insight on the relationship between information theory and aesthetics.

Agree with you about CPE Bach, I didn't have him in mind as an example of bad taste. What bothers me about CPE Bach's music are the "storm and stress" surprises characteristic of the Rococco. They're emotional, rather than formal.

Heh, these things are relative. When we criticize Wagner or Tchaikovsky, or for that matter CPE Bach, we're beginning with the assumption that he's one of the greats. I mean, any composer can be criticized, even the holy trinity of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven had their less inspired moments. Indeed, I'd argue that if a composer never fails, he's never going to be great, because greatness can't be achieved without risk. (That Brahms so rarely failed had I think more to do with the fact that he so ruthlessly culled his less successful efforts than anything else.)

By the way, I had the impression, from your paraphrase, anyway, that Bernstein wasn't disagreeing with me so much as he was making my point for me, when he says "Tchaikovsky's large scale symphonic writing lacks the inevitability of Beethoven or, indeed, Brahms. But Tchaikovsky used the Germanic symphonic forms for his own purposes - for maximum emotional engagement and for shattering contrasts. In other words, Tchaikovsky is often seeking variety, rather than unity." So in a way, isn't it like our differing reactions to what Brahms did to Bach's theme? We both hear the same thing, but it effects you differently than it effects me. In the case of the Brahms, you were bothered, I wasn't; in the case of Tchaikovsky, I'm bothered, you aren't. I think that's true of Bernstein, as well, we react differently. After all, he was a great proponent of Mahler. To satisfy me, music has to have both emotion and intellect, which is why German baroque and classical music appeals so strongly to me. Whereas Lenny could subsist on tone color alone.


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