THE SOUNDS OF MUSIC
Am I asking too much of today's singers that I might be made aware of what their song means?
Today's pop song fans seem to have given up any idea of knowing what the song they are going to hear or, are listening to, has as a subject.
True art forms have dimensions, bounds, limits, and it for the artist to stay within those bounds, or conversely, to demonstrate his ability to work beyond conventional bounds with precise exactness and purpose. An example of that might be the poet who writes a strict sonnet and the one who does his best work by avoiding the very limitations the first poet thinks are essential.
In that case, it makes sense, doesn't? Both of them are artists in their own right. So why can't I listen to a pop song in that double-faced way? Do I have to have words. Are lyrics essential to Â?meaning?Â?
Have I missed something along the way, perhaps? I find myself enjoying music less than I did years ago and I have a feeling it has so, something to do with the manner of presentation rather than with the music itself. The manner in which we allow an artist to present a musical work to us and also our tendencies to be rather permissive in regard to set of such presentation of musical art forms.
We are required to respond to music physically more than we have in the past. We used to view singers or instrumentalists at a distance, but now with videos much more intimate revelations are part of the presentation and new are Â?at oneÂ? with his or her actions. We are the ones who have changed rather than the performers, to a great extent. The listener today sees and hears the artist in a much more intimate association than ever before. We think close up camera presence as we watch a person perform very closely. No longer are we a stage-width away. We can be, visually, in our minds, within the area occupied by the artist we are watching and to whom we are listening.
I like to hear words and respectable patterns of form must be apparent for me to appreciate a song, and only by forcing myself set such guides aside can I find pleasure in so much or the much being generated today.
It may be that I have chanced upon another reason why so many of today's music seems less satisfying to me. .I used the term Â?generateÂ?instead of create and it strikes me that so much of today's music is generated, turned out almost mechanically, far removed from the traditional spontaneity of creative evp;vements of musical ideas of past times. Today's music is, so often, Â?turned outÂ? as if some one is extruding perfect bubbles from pin-pricked, soap-stuffed spool. Much of today's music is Â?put togetherÂ? rather than created in ways demanding talent and skills blended with a touch of esoteric character to help parts to meld. Many of today's creations join by accident and if they can be categorized they will sell. There is always someone there seeking whatever concoction may be formulated by accident or on purpose, it seems. The fact that today's music comes to us in so many ways is not at all helpful in making it readily understandable and acceptable.
We have as treasure in our creative ability whatever it might produce. Time will tell which was worth the trouble. I fear the present era is a time of such testing in which the absolute dregs are being screened, reviewed and judged. Not much of it will endure, I fear except for some fundamental pieces which will endure out of sheer audacity and because they illustrate transition which is, even now, taking place. Good music earns it place in our society through serving a genuine need. The best endures.
We shall see, or, hear, what is, left for tomorrow to judge.
A.L.M. June 6, 2004 [c671wds]
