and the fact that in the 1910s that it was premiered in france, i think? the french back then were revolutionaries musically, i can't accept very easily that they rioted against a musical piece that was so close at home
The French were musical revolutionaries back then, absolutely (Ravel, Debussy, Boulez et al), but this was the ballet crowd remember, and the venue was brand new. The vast majority of patrons attending the premiere would have been wealthy socialites expecting to see traditional ballet, with a smaller number of the avant-garde crowd who absolutely despised the former group.
The ballet is forgotten in the same way that all ballet is forgotten, to the general public. Save a few performances of The Nutcracker during Christmas, or the odd Hollywood movie where the two stars dyke-out.
We can only imagine what Palestrina sounded like to people brought up on Gregorian chant. Today, it still sounds beautiful, but it also sounds very old. We can't imagine what was in the minds of the people who rioted at the premiere of The Rite of Spring. Hell, most of us can't even imagine what the big deal was about Elvis Presley! Why did anyone think that old music was shocking and an affront to civilization?
It was the dancing and staging of The Rite of Spring (remember it was a ballet), and the persona of Elvis that offended people, rather than the music itself.
It was the staging of the ballet and the dancing itself, combined with the subject matter, that caused the audience to riot, not so much the music. Plus there's plenty of evidence that the whole thing was staged to garner publicity. Later performances of The Rite of Spring without the ballet were actually well received.
I always wish they'd update the original Cosmos. Keep all of Sagan's appearances and narration, just update all the graphics. Call it Cosmos "Re-Mastered" or something.
Highly skilled professionals have families to feed and bills to pay. The amount of rehearsal time alone for 17 complete symphonies just isn't practically possible to do for basically no money. You may get the odd one or two, but odds are the vast majority won't be seasoned professionals. And then, there's the conductor...
Not to mention beautiful and excitingworks of art
Music really started going down hill in the mid-century, when it became too academic. There still is some good stuff out there, however.
You're mistaken. Choral music has largely escaped the atonal mess that largely dominated the mid-to-late 20th century. Most choral composers know how to write music effectively, music that doesn't cater to their own egotistical desire to "push the boundaries", or to the expectations and wishes of a Ph.D supervisor.
Not saying all contemporary instrumental is crap...there's lots of good stuff out there, to be honest. But contemporary choral music, probably due to the medium, is so much more accessible.
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and the fact that in the 1910s that it was premiered in france, i think? the french back then were revolutionaries musically, i can't accept very easily that they rioted against a musical piece that was so close at home
The French were musical revolutionaries back then, absolutely (Ravel, Debussy, Boulez et al), but this was the ballet crowd remember, and the venue was brand new. The vast majority of patrons attending the premiere would have been wealthy socialites expecting to see traditional ballet, with a smaller number of the avant-garde crowd who absolutely despised the former group.
The ballet is forgotten in the same way that all ballet is forgotten, to the general public. Save a few performances of The Nutcracker during Christmas, or the odd Hollywood movie where the two stars dyke-out.
We can only imagine what Palestrina sounded like to people brought up on Gregorian chant. Today, it still sounds beautiful, but it also sounds very old. We can't imagine what was in the minds of the people who rioted at the premiere of The Rite of Spring. Hell, most of us can't even imagine what the big deal was about Elvis Presley! Why did anyone think that old music was shocking and an affront to civilization?
It was the dancing and staging of The Rite of Spring (remember it was a ballet), and the persona of Elvis that offended people, rather than the music itself.
It was the staging of the ballet and the dancing itself, combined with the subject matter, that caused the audience to riot, not so much the music. Plus there's plenty of evidence that the whole thing was staged to garner publicity. Later performances of The Rite of Spring without the ballet were actually well received.
You leave Gordon Pinsent the fuck alone, he's a Canadian icon. The Supreme Newfoundlander. The Codfather.
I always wish they'd update the original Cosmos. Keep all of Sagan's appearances and narration, just update all the graphics. Call it Cosmos "Re-Mastered" or something.
George Bush is now the president of Canada.
It's worse than that. Unlike Bush, Harper is incredibly intelligent. God help us all.
I couldn't care less what the interface looks like. I'm more concerned about the craptacular selection available in Canada.
Highly skilled professionals have families to feed and bills to pay. The amount of rehearsal time alone for 17 complete symphonies just isn't practically possible to do for basically no money. You may get the odd one or two, but odds are the vast majority won't be seasoned professionals. And then, there's the conductor...
So basically, we should only bother to learn the information that's already out there, and forget about discovering something new.
Well, we are the 51st state, according to douchebags.
This is child's play. The bigger news is that apparently the US owns the entire Great Lakes.
the atonal mess
see:
the atonal mess that largely dominated the mid-to-late 20th century
Not to mention beautiful and exciting works of art Music really started going down hill in the mid-century, when it became too academic. There still is some good stuff out there, however.
You're mistaken. Choral music has largely escaped the atonal mess that largely dominated the mid-to-late 20th century. Most choral composers know how to write music effectively, music that doesn't cater to their own egotistical desire to "push the boundaries", or to the expectations and wishes of a Ph.D supervisor.
Not saying all contemporary instrumental is crap...there's lots of good stuff out there, to be honest. But contemporary choral music, probably due to the medium, is so much more accessible.