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Grex > Music2 > #253: Who/What Will be Remembered from the 20th Century? | |
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| 22 new of 34 responses total. |
brighn
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response 13 of 34:
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May 15 13:30 UTC 2000 |
How many of the "legends" of the 20th Century are already being forgotten?
The only 20th Century song that will be part of the social lexicon in 2200
willbe "The Girl from Ipanema," because it'll still be playing in elevators
everywhere. =}
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mcnally
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response 14 of 34:
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May 16 18:54 UTC 2000 |
All of you who are standing up for Yaz, have you listened to any lately?
I greatly enjoyed "Upstairs at Erics" in the late 80's, but hadn't
listened to it in a loooong time. Came across it about two months ago
in my record collection and gave it a spin. Whooo has that album aged,
and not particularly gracefully.
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jules
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response 15 of 34:
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May 16 19:39 UTC 2000 |
i listen to it sometimes, and i still like it.....
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brighn
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response 16 of 34:
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May 16 22:34 UTC 2000 |
I heard "Situation" on the radio recently, enjoyed it.
There are tracks on the Yaz albums that sound childish now, but only because
they were innovative then, and the innovations have developped. The straight
up pop songs ("Situation" and "Don't Go") are still fine.
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dbratman
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response 17 of 34:
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May 17 17:59 UTC 2000 |
How about the greatest classical composer of the 20th century? Fifty
years ago there were people saying the greatest, or at least most
influential, composer would be Schoenberg, because his twelve-tone
system was taking over the classical planet. (And contributing mightily
to the rise of high art in popular music, as both musicians and
audiences deserted the twelve-tone academy in droves.) Fortunately
twelve-tone turned out to be a dead end, so he's out.
The usual candidate is Stravinsky. But though certainly very
influential, his music has not worn equally well, and I can't believe
"greatest" of a composer whose place in the repertoire is so spotty.
My candidate? Shostakovich. His music is profound, beautiful, highly
varied, always of high quality except for some designated hackwork (and
even Beethoven and Mozart had designated hackwork), and has been rising
in tremendous popularity ever since Volkov's _Testimony_ made people
feel it was politically OK to like it.
It's a big change. 35 years ago, the statement that Shostakovich would
be a plausible candidate for greatest composer of the century would have
been greeted with total incredulity. But I admired him then as much as
now, and am pleased that he's coming into his own.
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raven
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response 18 of 34:
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May 17 18:47 UTC 2000 |
I think there will be muscians recognized in all catagories many decades
to come from the 20th century. Coltrane & Miles Davis in Jazz, Bartok and
Stravinsky in Classical, The Beattles, Bob Dylan (at least) in Rock/Pop.
Hank Williams in Country. Probably many more but these artist at least I
thnk will have their recording preserved in whatever digital medium is
the format of choice in the future. Actually I would add Duke Elington
and Public Enemy to that list as well. I think an intersting question
is about women in music in the 20th century. Will Joni Mitchell and
Bessie Smith be part of the archive or has the patriarchy still pushed
woman muscian to the margin? Also how about world music such as Balinese
Gamelan, the African Drummer Olitugi, etc. Perhaps the late 20th century
will be remebered as the time of global musical awareness?
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brighn
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response 19 of 34:
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May 17 19:44 UTC 2000 |
The Greatest Classical Composer of the 20th Century?
You're gonna slap me, but I'd say the one who most aptly combined the musical
trend of the 20th Century -- popular music -- with classical techniques. That
would be John Williams.
He created a few of the most recognizable classical themes of the 20th
Century, if nothing else -- the duh-DUM duh-DUM duh-DUM of Jaws and the
inspirational themes of Star Wars.
My favorite composer (and this shows how much of a simpleton I am) is probably
Prokofiev. =}
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orinoco
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response 20 of 34:
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May 17 20:51 UTC 2000 |
I don't think popular music is such a uniquely-20th-century trend. They just
used to call it "folk music" or "dammit, the peasants are making that infernal
noise again" or some such. Most composers of any time period -- and
especially those who wrote dances -- have been inspired by the popular music
of their day.
Now, you could make a pretty good case for the pop music _star_ as unique to
the 20th century. In which case, the Greatest Classical Composer of Our
Century should be Michael Daugherty, composer of "Dead Elvis" and "Sinatra
Shag."
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lumen
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response 21 of 34:
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May 17 21:42 UTC 2000 |
I'll agree with the Beatles, the Doors, the Stones, and Zappa--
probably more so the Beatles and Zappa. resp:11 Yes, we do remember--
there's just something about these artists kids like. It seems most of
the music department here reveres Zappa as some sort of god. But I
should note that Zappa is a music satirist, and his book was actually
quoted by my music aesthetics professor. I remember his writings have
been discussed elsewhere in this conference. Remember, we have noted
elsewhere that musicologists have begun to consider the Beatles, and
some music history textbooks-- at least the music appreciation ones--
have included the Beatles.
Hank Williams is considered a pioneer in the country-western genre, and
if the medium continues to survive (as it has been heavily mixed with
pop, R&B, and rock), then he will likely be noted.
John Williams? Yes. I think Paul said it well. He's been compared
with Gustav Holst, who *does* have a place in music history and
musicological texts, and he was even asked to write a piece for Pluto
to complete _The Planets_. Go ahead, give it a listen-- Williams was
*strongly* influenced by him.
I feel like I'll likely keep tabs on this.
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sspan
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response 22 of 34:
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May 20 09:40 UTC 2000 |
I thinkit willbe the disco song that refuses to die.. Shake Your Groove Thing.
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jor
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response 23 of 34:
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May 20 12:53 UTC 2000 |
more votes for Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich
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other
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response 24 of 34:
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May 20 16:35 UTC 2000 |
Scriabin. Love that synaesthesia (sp?) thing.
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slmshady
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response 25 of 34:
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May 21 04:07 UTC 2000 |
I am THE real slim shady.
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dbratman
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response 26 of 34:
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May 21 05:33 UTC 2000 |
John Williams hardly combined classical and pop techniques. He simply
took the stylistic traits of early modern classical composers like
Richard Strauss and Gustav Holst and applied them to film music. Very
well, too, and you won't get much criticism of him from me -- though the
repetition of the same-old same-old in _Phantom Menace_ seemed a bit
tired, and for the first time, I felt that _Star Wars_ really seemed
like an old hack Sunday serial, as Lucas intended. But even at its
best, I wouldn't count Williams's achievement at century-best level.
Who did combine classical and pop techniques well? Surprisingly, the
minimalists, several of whom have been brilliant at writing classical
music with a rock sensibility (especially in pacing and structure). And
a lot of classical-influenced pop musicians, especially of the art rock
school: not ELP, who suck, but Renaissance in particular.
I like Prokofiev a whole lot. He isn't #1, but he's definitely in the
top ten of the century for me, possibly the top five.
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raven
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response 27 of 34:
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May 21 18:38 UTC 2000 |
Gershwin <sp?> would be the inovator of combing classical and popular music
in the 20th century. Rhaposody in Blue is probably going to be remembered
for a while if nothing else for being so damn catchy.
I still think Bartok the best of 20th century harmonic inovations and combined
them with haunting melodies and interesting percussion to make some of the most
intersting 20th century classical IMO.
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orinoco
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response 28 of 34:
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May 21 20:31 UTC 2000 |
Gershwin may have done it before the Minimalists did, but in my opinion he
didn't do as good or as interesting a job of it. "Rhapsody in Blue" is
catchy, yeah, but the combination of classical and popular ideas doesn't run
very deep -- it's basically a straightforward classical showpiece with a few
"jazzy" notes thrown in for effect.
If you want an earlier example of popular/classical crossover than Gershwin,
I'd look at Charles Ives, who managed to incorporate a lot of the spirit and
raucousness of popular music into his compositions, rather than writing fussy
classical pieces on the blues scale.
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lumen
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response 29 of 34:
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May 25 00:08 UTC 2000 |
Charles Ives is *already* a part of music history study. He's already
been cast by scholars, so don't bother worrying about whether or not
he'll be remembered.
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dbratman
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response 30 of 34:
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May 30 20:05 UTC 2000 |
Gershwin, I think, would have had a profound influence on both classical
music and jazz had he lived, but he died before he was able to take his
fusion program very far.
Neither the minimalists, Gershwin, nor Ives, was the innovator of
combining classical and pop music. It's been going on as long as either
has existed. Many classical composers wrote popular songs in the forms
of their day; and music for popular dances has been part of classical
music from the beginning: Bach and Mozart, for instance, wrote whole
suites of dance music. It could even be said that dance music is the
root of all classical instrumental music.
At any rate, classical music isn't "fussy". Only bad classical music is
fussy.
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carla
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response 31 of 34:
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May 30 20:06 UTC 2000 |
I own a copy of Gershwin plays gershwin, it's a great lil albumn.
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goose
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response 32 of 34:
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Jun 8 01:45 UTC 2000 |
Varese
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isis
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response 33 of 34:
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Jun 9 03:10 UTC 2000 |
Maurice Ravel. His orchestration of Pictures AT An Exhibition is simply
incredible, and just about everyone who knows figure skating has heard Bolero.
I'm also tossing in a vote for Aaron Copland and my gratuitous votes for Led
Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix
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dbratman
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response 34 of 34:
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Jun 12 23:55 UTC 2000 |
Once upon a time, it was everyone who knew Bo Derek who had heard
Bolero. A protean work, indeed.
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