The Swedish site Junk Music says that I write in such a way that they hope I'll convert to pop. That really is a compliment. Aw shucks.
Does one have to 'convert', though? I LIKE pop music. I like Abba, please note in Sweden... I love The Beatles AND The Rolling Stones (yes, they're old, but so am I, kind of. If not as old as them...). I impressed one of our nephews recently when he spotted my R.E.M. album on the shelf. I love Paul Simon. I enjoy various amorphous contemporary groups that seem roughly interchangeable the way that Mozart, Brahms and Debussy probably seem roughly interchangeable to people who can tell every pop group apart. I also think there's a lot of crap around, but that's true in every field.
What I can't claim to do is write about it with any sense of authority, having not spent my life steeped in the stuff. Still, what can you do when your formative influences in those crucial early years are a straight choice between, on the one hand, Dana, the Bay City Rollers and Grease, or on the other hand, Schubert, Chopin and Mozart in the hands of the Amadeus Quartet, Daniel Barenboim and the youthful Krystian Zimerman?!? Frankly, my dears, it was no contest.
But I will never convert to pop because I refuse to go to pop concerts, and there's only one reason for that. It's not the music; it's the volume. It's SO LOUD. IT HURTS MY EARS. I do NOT want my ears to be hurt. I tried a as a teenager and don't want to repeat the experience. What turned me on to R.E.M. was a TV series called 'Unplugged' in which various groups performed without amplification. I stumbled on it, listened and thought 'wow, this is great music' (my boyfriend at the time was stunned to find I had reasonably trendy taste in pop after all...). I'm afraid I won't even go and hear my brother-in-law, who plays sometimes with Billy Bragg, whom I admire very much. And I wouldn't go to Beethoven either if I came out with my ears ringing, a violent headache and a sense of nauseous claustrophobia brought on by excessive loudness.
Friday, September 16, 2005
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11 comments:
Hey, that's ironic (or karmic or whatever)! You and I had nearly an identical experience, growing up. I was raised solidly on classical (Old School Austria), piano, orchestral and opera, but always kept my ears and heart open to whatever was new or interesting.
Which presented a huge dilemma as a teen, in terms of rock concerts. I basically refused to go to rock concerts, because i knew even then that my hearing would be important to a career in foreign languages and/or music.
I compromised by asking others what they liked about "their" music, and listening to recordings with an ear to understanding and appreciating.
Interesting that Billy Joel idolizes Schumann and Jon Bon Jovi likes Mozart ...
This was the same reason I gradually abandoned clubs and disco's through the 90s. (Although I did not know that I would end up training for opera singing)
In late 80s, growing up in Mexico, the volume level at bars and clubs was certainly loud but still reasonable, and the emphasis was in sound quality. Through the 90s, they moved into blaring loud sound, driving the speakers to levels where they started losing higher and lower frequencies, turning the music into a drilling mishmash of midrange.
Did the same thing happen in Europe?
I also find that classical music demands much more emotional depth from the performers, and in most cases, way more skill. The Pablo Casals quotes I find on the Internet seem to indicate a very profound man. I have not yet found a pop performer that articulates such universal truths.
The journey towards becoming a classical music performer of international renown seems to shape a person's soul differently than pop music stardom.
Hi folks! Sorry for blogging silence - back very soon...for now, just to say thanks for these very interesting comments. Andrea's point about Joel & Bon Jovi is very pertinent. I could add that I saw Elvis Costello at every one of Andras Schiff's Schubert Sonatas series at the Wigmore Hall a number of years back. And there was a member of the Grateful Dead (I think it was them, anyway) who put huge amounts of money into supporting avant-garde contemporary classical music. Meanwhile, hearing, by accident, part of an outdoor gig in Ferrara by some wacky group (was it Deep Purple?) a couple of years ago, the guitar improvisations made me think immediately of late Debussy and certain bits of Schoenberg.
I think, too, that Farouk is right about the increase in volume over the 1990s. I went to a nightclub once in 1986 and seem to remember enjoying the evening. Wouldn't happen now...
Maybe there's more to explore in this idea of classical vs. modern or vs. country or pop or other styles.
I'm really sorry to open a Pandora's box/can of worms, but I cannot find a way to agree that "The journey towards becoming a classical music performer of international renown seems to shape a person's soul differently than pop music stardom." By differently does that mean shapes a soul better?
I'm not sure there aren't alot of bitter or happy successes in either camp. (Was Horowitz a happy man? Is Jessica Simpson deeply miserable?)
Let's go a little further. While I personally don't like (okay mostly hate) the Rap genre, would there be a huge debate on the powerful emotional, poetic and rhythmic genius of Eminem, and his relevance, howsoever unfortunate, to many modern human beings?
First time poster here, long time lurker.
I have my dad to thank for my musical tastes. He'd play Beethoven > Johnny Cash > Bach > Jefferson Airplane > Albeniz guitar stuff etc.
I grew up a rock fan who knew some classical bits. Then in 1974 I got in to prog rock (ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant etc.) and through them really discovered a whole new world of classical stuff: 20th century things. ELP at that point had done arrangements of Bartok, Copeland (which Aaron loved) and Ginastera (!!). I started to check out these composers and that was that.
Um, I love a loud rock concert. The physical sound adds another dimension to the experience. Not for everyone obviously, but I have no problem getting ear-bashed by Metallica (loudest concert I've ever been to but the sound was crystal clear--whoever mixed the sound was A God) and then going to hear an all-Debussy piano recital a few days later.
I consider my lucky!
Wow, cool, Henry! You definitely had some awesome mixes there, day to day.
I love that totally eclectic approach to music/life. (Like this one tape I made in college was Bach, Beatles & Benatar...) Your car radio station pre-sets must be as schizophrenic as mine!
Say, did you play an instrument, growing up?
Jessica, I read somewhere that the volume makes the body release endorphines which makes you feel good. That may be the reason for us playing so loud.
The fun part is that it seems to be the bass that make the brain react this way – so you can use ear plugs and get the thrill anyway:)
That said, we're proud that you mentioned us. Keep up the good work:)
cheers anders
Thanks, Anders! Strange, though, because it certainly doesn't make me feel good. Excessive volume, especially the bass, makes me feel angry, claustrophobic, somewhat panicky and scared of losing my hearing!!!
Incidentally, I've just had a commission from my paper to write something that is, for me, quite a new departure & promises to be a lot of fun...more details when it's all set...
I LOVE the volume, the rumble under your feet, the vibration of the air, the sensations of loud music. Nothing like being on stage with like 50-100 highly trained professional voices surrounding you (as you sing and feeling the vibrations of your own voice, too!) And the timpani are at full boil and the trumpets are blasting.... Ooooheee! Now that's FUN!
So I can definitely identify with what Anders is saying. (I had a friend in college who played electric guitar, and I used to beg him to go stand close to the amp for a second, so it would overload. That's well orga… uh, extremely exciting!)
What's NOT FUN and even DANGEROUS TO ONE'S HEARING is the overkill that can come with intense electronic amplification, which happens at some rock events.
Pete Townshend of The Who could teach us a bit about this topic! Here’s what happened (from the H.E.A.R. website:
"Pete publicly disclosed and discussed his hearing loss in 1989 and the news rocked the music world. Pete Townshend's founding donation enabled H.E.A.R. to become an internationally known nonprofit organization.
H.E.A.R. is currently composed of musicians, audiologists and physicians, dedicated to the prevention of hearing loss and tinnitus among musicians and music fans (especially young people).
Hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is the number one disability in the US and the world. It is generally irreversible, occurs gradually and is painless.
Damage from dangerously loud decibels can occur from playing music, attending concerts, dance clubs and raves, and even from using stereo earphones, or playing amplified sound systems too loudly.
H.E.A.R. has a debt of gratitude to Pete for his foresight, compassion and humanity in speaking out to help prevent hearing loss, and the related damage that can be caused to ears from loud sound exposure."
Thank you Andrea, for your comment about the "happy or unhappy successes on either side". I must admit, it sounds a little prejudiced, specially coming from my limited information. I would like to hear more about what you guys think on this topic.
This is not to say that classical music is better or worse than other genres per se, but I do believe that the emotions expressed in classical music are of a higher level of complexity.
Thank you for this very interesting discussion.
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