But can you whistle it?
Upon occasion, I’ve been known to revolve in some odd circles. Come to think of it, whenever I walk around the room I create a pretty odd circle by just doing that. At the same time, of all the strange people I know, no one walks around either whistling memorable tunes from Schoenberg or reciting one of Ezra Pound’s Cantos in the shower.
What is this all about? This weekend my wife and I went with a couple of friends to see the holiday Pops in Boston. This is a Boston tradition where the usually rather stuffy Boston Symphony Hall is cleared and instead of the usual seats the floor is has a bunch of four person round tables set on it. The Boston Pops orchestra plays Christmas favorites and the audience can order snacks and alcohol (including Champagne). The atmosphere is relaxed (you can eat, make an occasional comment and unwrap your food) and somewhat genteel (little children all dressed up in dresses and jackets with an occasional bow tie).
This was the first time our friends were at the Pops. The way the husband put it, it was f-----n civilized. And it was. The music certainly was not demanding in any conventional and unconventional way, but the familiarity created a very warm feeling.
Why has much of the “serious” symphonic and generally orchestral music become so unmelodic? I cannot think of a single post WWI piece I would enjoy whistling (and I know hundreds of tunes). The subjugation of music to theory by the likes of Herr Schoenberg emasculated musical tradition. I am not saying that all music needs to be like “Jingle Bells.” Heck, Beethoven and Bach wrote some very complex and sophisticated stuff that is actually quite demanding. The indubitable fact of Schoenberg’s innovation created a tradition of disharmony (as far as the human ear is concerned). As a result, a great deal of human talent went into creating music that is inaccessible to humanity almost by definition, and that is sad.
5:55:03 AM 
|
