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Do political viewpoints/actions of musicians/composers alter your opinion of them?

5K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  Moscow-Mahler 
#1 ·
Something that I always wonder about is not so much the biographies of musicians and composers, but how much people research the musicians or composers, as in, how much they look into the personality behind the music.

I know some people who are iffy about the Vienna Philharmonic because of their late coming to accepting women performers. I have heard a story of a big conductor guru who thought poorly of Simone Young before she showed him her conducting. I know at least a few people who do not listen to Wagner...for the usual reason. I have read scathing reviews of music by Shostakovich, Bernstein and a few others which make multiple references to the reviewers' political/religious viewpoints as arguments against the work of the composers.

How much, to you, do political viewpoints/actions of musicians/composers alter your opinion of them?
 
#4 ·
It's not necessary to know the background of composers or conductors in order to enjoy their work, but it can add interest. One more way of hearing the music within a broader context.

But I don't base my opinion of the music on the character of the artist. As far as their works go, I love the despicable Wagner even more than the kind-hearted Verdi.
 
#5 ·
It's difficult to be a fan of any composer for any length of time without learning something of the individual behind the music. I am a fan of Schoenberg's music and I read that he had once conducted (?) some of his expressionist (?) music and the audience went wild with applause. Schoenberg turned his back on the audience. I think he did this because he was writing 12-tone music at the time and the audience reaction had been extremely disparaging of his endeavours, while applauding his early music enthusiastically. I think his reaction was rude and arrogant. However, I still love his music as much as always :)

Composers are human. Like anyone, they don't all share my views on everything. I'm in it for the music. If I like it, I'm there for the ride; if I don't, there's someone else doing something I do like.
 
#11 ·
In most cases, my first listen to a composer's works was before knowing anything about them, and I consider a listening a success If the music has completely eclipsed my conscious thoughts. I support the 'abstract' solely musical approach not because of some pseudo-philosophical argument but because I've found it to be the most immersive and rewarding.

I love Gesualdo's music. I do not care If he was Italian or a Prince or a murderer. Although, a Freudian might say that I have subconsciously become his birch like those infamous women attracted to prisoners.
 
#13 ·
Do I separate art and politics?

Certainly.

Would judging an artist's work by non-aesthetic criteria affect the intrinsic aesthetic value of the work?

Or alternatively: Could a person of perfect virtue but with a non-existent aesthetic sense, create a great work of art?
 
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#17 ·
Obviously there are some composers whose views and lifestyle you have to come to terms with when it is reflected in the music. Wagner is the obvious example. Otherwise it doesn't really matter. I love the music of Beethoven even though in real life he was probably a pretty loathsome individual.
I totally despise Pierre Boulez's political posturing. But as I can't stand his music either it doesn't make a lot of difference.
 
#18 ·
I kinda gave up on reading biographies of famous people. Sometimes I surrender, but rarely.

I read a few on Wolfie and one on Beethoven, years ago, but it meant nothing to me, really, and I found that I prefer to music to stand alone and apart from the commentary about it. What I mean by that is, I know Beethoven wrote music for Napoleon and then got in a huff about him, and changed it to the "Everything in the World Except Napoleon" concerto, and I thought, well really, the title and the motive wasn't that important after all.

Sometimes I read things that a composer wrote their music in response to some event, or there was some ideology behind whatever they were doing, but (example) I don't listen to the 3-note motifs in Magic Flute any differently for being told they were Masonic codes. If I heard that Mozart was a hyena-chuckling brat with a mental age of a testosteronal pubescent boy, it wouldn't affect how I appreciate the music, because once I bought it - it's mine!
 
#19 ·
Generally, I don't separate music from history, culture, or personality; music is never just music to me. Of course there exists a pure aesthetic dimension on top of all the context, but I don't believe in trying to chop it off from everything else.

So the "shine" (Schein, pure appearance) exists and we can focus on it and even try to block out all the other stuff, but this is very violent, violent to Thought (Geist). Thought is always larger than the "shine".
 
#20 · (Edited)
I am personally very interested in history and culture, and I don't see what's wrong or "impure" about that approach. If I enjoy it then who is to say that I am not experiencing "pure" aesthetics? Music is written by people and I am interested in people.
 
G
#21 ·
In classical music, no.

In popular music, when the artist (or frontman) is singing his own lyrics, it can be somewhat more difficult to separate the two. You come to associate their voice with their personality, which typically detracts from the music when a band is fronted by an insufferable hipster d-bag ;)
 
#23 ·
I remember once in a film the defence counsel introduced an item of knowledge which was immediately objected to by the prosecution; the objection was sustained & the judge ordered the jury to disregard the disclosure. But sotto voce the defence attorney said that it would take brain surgery to achieve that! We all know lots of things about composers and we can't 'unknow' them, but do we let 'knowing things' bother us?

I like to place music, art, poetry in the context of its time and in the context of biography and character. Usually I find it enhances my enjoyment. But while I am appreciating the music or work of art, I am able to concentrate on the piece while 'holding in abeyance' my knowledge of the context, just as I 'hold in abeyance' things from my personal life, such as that I have to get up early the next morning, or that I do like that blue dress the woman in front of me is wearing.

I don't think this is an either/or situation - either pure music or music in its political context. The composers were people as well as writers of music, and we in the audience are livers and learners and listeners, and we can turn from one aspect to another with relative ease.
 
#24 ·
That's it. But in response to the OP, about how much we "look into the personality behind the music", for me it's not hugely relevant. It can help and it can distract. The political views of the composer can be egregious and vile, or idealistic and shallow, but I can ignore the worst of a man, in order to enjoy his best.

If there were huge moral implications behind this, such as - for example - if a composer wrote music exhorting child trafficking or praising villainry as being just, then I might turn away from it, even if it wasn't explicit in the text, but otherwise, the notion that Beethoven composed for a long dead emperor doesn't really affect my enjoyment of his music, in my current and very present life. It can add to the knowledge and background of the work, but "political viewpoints/actions of musicians/composers" doesn't really interest me. It's a given that people have such things, anyway...
 
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