Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:19 pm
[QUOTE=VonDondu]I agree with Kalashnikova: people should use their rage and sorrow to create their own songs. But the results would probably not appeal to many other people. The commercially-produced music that people listen to when they are sad or otherwise bothered by something really isn't the product of anyone's pain. More likely, it is the product of people who write music to become famous, make a lot of money, and get laid.[/QUOTE]
LOL! Well put, and I'd have to agree. Most music is either written by 1) professionals funded by recording corporations, and aimed at one of several large mass markets--teen pop, hard rock, rap, etc--or written by amateurs with little musical background that are just seeking an outlet for teen angst without any idea what they're doing. There are exceptions, but they've always been hard to find, because they don't have the money to get played on all the radio stations or get the big name gigs.
I make two major exceptions for jazz and classical music. Jazz has always formed an outlet for improvizations based on the best pop music of the day, and many of these songs have dealt with despair, loss, unfulfilled longing, etc. Classical music has dealt tangentially with these issues, and with anger, biting satire, etc. Numerous classical works have been banned over time because of ther emotionally effective communication, especially when attached to the text of an excellent poet. One example is Shostakovich's Symphony #13, which set a series of poems to music--one of them dedicated to the memory of a Nazi mass slaughter of Jews at Baba Yar. It is filled with a seething anger, and the Soviet regime wasn't slow to realize that this work was in truth a double edged sword also aimed at Stalin's notorious exercises in anti-Semitic hatred.
LOL! Well put, and I'd have to agree. Most music is either written by 1) professionals funded by recording corporations, and aimed at one of several large mass markets--teen pop, hard rock, rap, etc--or written by amateurs with little musical background that are just seeking an outlet for teen angst without any idea what they're doing. There are exceptions, but they've always been hard to find, because they don't have the money to get played on all the radio stations or get the big name gigs.
I make two major exceptions for jazz and classical music. Jazz has always formed an outlet for improvizations based on the best pop music of the day, and many of these songs have dealt with despair, loss, unfulfilled longing, etc. Classical music has dealt tangentially with these issues, and with anger, biting satire, etc. Numerous classical works have been banned over time because of ther emotionally effective communication, especially when attached to the text of an excellent poet. One example is Shostakovich's Symphony #13, which set a series of poems to music--one of them dedicated to the memory of a Nazi mass slaughter of Jews at Baba Yar. It is filled with a seething anger, and the Soviet regime wasn't slow to realize that this work was in truth a double edged sword also aimed at Stalin's notorious exercises in anti-Semitic hatred.
