tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371351138596055444.post7049943488724758204..comments2024-01-20T23:55:26.269-08:00Comments on The Detritus Review: Help Wanted: Only Schenker Students Need ApplyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371351138596055444.post-72845857850513120112008-03-09T13:20:00.000-07:002008-03-09T13:20:00.000-07:00I taught my dog to sing Mussorgsky's "Khovanshchin...I taught my dog to sing Mussorgsky's "Khovanshchina" in Russian (the only language he speaks). Now my dog calms me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371351138596055444.post-44012986332550858692008-03-07T14:28:00.000-08:002008-03-07T14:28:00.000-08:00It's hard to blame you for having idealistic and u...It's hard to blame you for having idealistic and unbridled passion for your subject. And frankly, that's a characteristic that I feel should be treasured in others.<BR/><BR/>Love to read you guys. Keep fighting the good fight.<BR/><BR/>PS. I'd love to see some discussion on this subject of abridged masterworks...any strong opinions out there?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371351138596055444.post-21013205708767546892008-03-07T13:36:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:36:00.000-08:00Wonderful point, Uncle Milty. I agree with just ab...Wonderful point, Uncle Milty. I agree with just about everything. Puff pieces like this, ones that subtly sublimate classical music's riches, aren't the problem; rather, they are symptoms of larger causes. In my opinion (that's all it is, an opinion), the causes are ultimately linked to generally bad/misinformed musical thinking, whatever the medium, be it a newspaper column, a musical-theoretical or musicological journal, a cognitive neuroscience periodical, etc.--sources of authority. Largely, it's unintentional, I'm pretty sure. <BR/><BR/>However, the point, regardless of the source, is that it carries with it the weight of authority. And like a rumor, it is the paradigm of trickle-down information. So much so that by the time the faulty thinking, research or logic reaches the author of a puff piece, it is diluted to point where one can throw around terms like "classical music" and associate it with doggy boredom without any consequences for its implications.<BR/><BR/>While I sympathize with this author as being misinformed, I can't help but to point out the ways in which this represents another authoritative voice. The author is no doubt a conduit of information, one who presumably influences her audience (to what degree, I can't say). And as a concerned citizen, I would like better information.<BR/><BR/>So, in that sense, I have no problem fighting this battle on a weaker front. It's like overcoming a fever--you treat the symptoms and at the same time you treat the cause.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I was digging too hard, but the more I read music related articles in our beloved newspapers the more apparent, and seemingly rampant, these things become. <BR/><BR/>Either way, nice work Uncle Milty. Thanks for keeping us on our toes and holding us responsible, too.Empiricushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11629835829400843701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371351138596055444.post-54735642311381787192008-03-07T12:35:00.000-08:002008-03-07T12:35:00.000-08:00Point taken, Empiricus. But I think you're trying...Point taken, Empiricus. But I think you're trying much to hard to find the way in which, once again, the mainstream media and culture are marginalizing and patronizing classical music. I think everything you're saying is valid, but seriously, it's just an article about the calming effect of music, not attack on modernist art music, no matter how subliminally or unconsciously you felt it. <BR/><BR/>Should we really be bothered by the existance of simplified works of master composers? Again, I feel your argument, but I just can't get bothered by this. I must say that I've read both the original Oliver Twist and the reader's digest abridged Oliver Twist publication my grandparents bought in the 1950s. Clearly an issue of taste, but I far more enjoyed the abridged version. And I don't really care how offended Dickens or the hordes of classic lit majors at east muckied-muck university are by that. That's not so much an argument as it is basic antecdotal reality.<BR/><BR/>My main point is, let's fight the battles that need fighting. Your primary enemies are not security moms who buy cds for their dogs. Detritus should stand for the honest critique of poor music journalism and the systemic outright disregard of modern music amongst critics. Harmless pop pschology is truly just an innocuous aside to the real argument.<BR/><BR/>That said, I do not object to the rant. I enjoy rants and ranters (though not so much rantees, go figure).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com