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Rant on horrible music and composers

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#21 · (Edited)
Poor lamb, having managed to escape all the evils of the ugly art, music, and literature and all other inventions of the last one hundred and twenty-four years from intruding upon an ever so peaceful, harmonious and melodic life, then only to have that all thrust upon him at once as a bassoonist in a youth orchestra.

Oh, the humanity!
 
#22 ·
pileofsticks said:
but I have to say that Stravinsky is a crazy a$$ b1***. Let's start off with the Rite of Spring. Why the heck is it so high? Weirdest rhythms ever! Atonality! Never really follows the key signature!
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I can only feel pity for someone incapable of getting one of the most trascendental pieces of art music ever composed. It's only their loss after all...
 
#24 ·
The only thing a person should keep in mind here is that this member is young and new to classical music. Like the seasons of the year, tastes change. Give it time and one, two, three years from now this member will be wondering what possessed them to even create this thread.
 
#26 ·
I can understand the OP's feelings because that's how I feel about most new country. But I can't understand feeling that way about Stravinsky. Poor guy! But love what you love without disparaging what other people love. If you insist on insulting the music that other people love, all you accomplish is to reinforce the mutual scornfest that cluster-ruins the whole classical music scene.

Do be above that.
 
#27 ·
pileofsticks said:
When I learned of the avant-garde ways of the "new" composers, it made me very angry. I felt like they were spoiling what music was. I mean, it still fits the definition of "sound organized in time", but I honestly thought it was folly and was made fun of real music like "It's Gon Rain" (a loop of a pastor screaming about armageddon).
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Cause you know, how dare artists do interesting or new things! Don't they understand they're supposed to make music that people like to listen to already? Freakin stupid artists.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Musicians Obligations

As a performing musician the point has nothing to do with whether or not the young man likes The Rite of Spring. This work is part of the orchestral repertoire and all musicians have know how to play it whether they like it or not.

When you play in an orchestra you have an obligation to play whatever is in the music folder irregardless if it is Leroy Anderson, Beethoven or Berg. If you have to play music you despise, you do not have the option to change the radio station or turn off the stereo. One has to play the music and do the best job they can. For every Mahler one has to play a Mancini. If he wants to be a successful member of an orchestra this is a lesson he has to learn. I know I had to learn it.

I played with a volunteer orchestra where we had a bassoonist who was one of the biggest snobs I have ever met. He was a nice guy, but if the music was not Beethoven like it was manure. Well we occasionally play pops concerts. When we did he complained about how horrible the music was. Finally the director had had enough. He told the man that we play all sorts of music. Since he can not handle the pop stuff he would have to leave.

One day pileofsticks may have to play The Rite. If he does not like it and does a poor job of performing it, he will be out of a job. He is competing with too many bassoonists who like The Rite and know how to play it.
 
#29 ·
pileofsticks said:
... but I have to say that Stravinsky is a crazy a$$ b1***. Let's start off with the Rite of Spring. Why the heck is it so high? Weirdest rhythms ever! Atonality! Never really follows the key signature!
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Stravinsky, in most textbooks, music history books and music encyclopedias, is considered "The Bach of the 20th Century."

You might have to learn to just deal with it :)
 
#37 · (Edited)
The trouble with internet postings, and their very long shelf-life, is that what one says as a young and relatively green performer can years later come back at them in the middle of a later successful career.

Just imagine twenty years from now, the OP confronted with this text written here, with, "But, here, you said...." :lol:...:lol:...:lol:...
 
#38 · (Edited)
Check out this Stravinsky piece, in his Neoclassical style:
Octet for wind instruments (flute; clarinet in Bâ™­ and A; two bassoons; trumpet in C; trumpet in A; tenor trombone; bass trombone)

Great bassoon parts!

 
#39 · (Edited)
pileofsticks said:
Ok, I really have to get this out.

We were in music history class today, and we talked about composers from 1870ish-1930ish. I have a huge list of composers that I honestly can't stand. And it's big.

<snip>
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Well, if you will listen to music after 1750, what can you expect? Simplest thing is to find a nice Baroque group and a proper bassoon and play some proper music:

Image


Either that or accept that if you want to be a professional musician, you have to play what's on the desk.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Taggart said:
Well, if you will listen to music after 1750, what can you expect? Simplest thing is to find a nice Baroque group and a proper bassoon and play some proper music:

Image


Either that or accept that if you want to be a professional musician, you have to play what's on the desk.
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Of course if you go for broke and become a Baroque repertoire specialist, you don't get hired to play the part in all the later classical and romantic repertoire, either!

At some point, preferably sooner than later, every musician in training should begin to accommodate the principle that they exist to serve music, and not the other way around, period, That idea of playing "only what you like" or "only what you want" is for the hobbyist working on their own... not for a musician who in training, or later, is expected and required to play all sorts of music. In training, you are constantly confronted with those 'next pieces' which are a reach and climb up the musical and technical ladder.

That part about on your own and as you like it does not work for many professional instrumentalists other than pianists and organists; even then, you are shooting yourself in the foot if you are avoiding repertoire which pulls in the audiences, and Stravinsky (astonishing to think of for some, it seems) does pull in the audiences :)
 
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