Dear Tom, I think you are quite wrong to suggest that Beethoven's Eroica Symphony with its structurally significant pauses might be more interesting than the continuous clanking of a badly tempered cow bell. The cow bell is unquestionably superior, since it succinctly challenges our crude perception of the meaning of silence. We have had centuries of going out into the fields to enjoy the peace of the countryside, and listen appreciatively to silence with our friends, to savour the pastoral tranquillity, as we watch the cows grazing in the meadow, ruminating over the greater order of things. The arrival of the cow bell is a hugely significant moment in the history of silence, since at last it forces us to address questions such as the importance of the European cow. It may be Boulez to the French, but to the Americans, who see everything differently from Europeans, it's a load of bull....
One of the reasons I enjoy lute music is because it is music, pure and simple. It is unpretentious. It doesn't require us to feel challenged, to address issues, to reject our history, or to make ugly comparisons between nations based on stereotype or prejudice. It is a thing of rare beauty, complete in itself, in a world where there are so many nasty things. People of all ages and all nations may be uplifted by music. Call it escapism, if you will, but the destructive ideas of John Cage and his ilk have no place in the world of lutes. He should be barred. Best wishes, Stewart. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 11:38 PM Subject: John Cage > Though I was never, even in my most radical student days, an admirer of > Cage's music, his influence has been enormous. The music I always found profoundly > dull, the notorious 4' 33" silly (though it must be one of the first pieces of > concept art in modern times (pace Duchamps et al). But questions like his > 'Why is a Beethoven symphony more interesting than a cow bell?' is much less easy > to answer than might at first seem. One usually ends up arguing in circles, > 'Beethoven is better than a cow bell because Beethoven us better than a cow > bell'. And the concept of silence or the effects of extraneous noise not only in > the world in the world around us, but also in music itself, is something that, > as Howard pointed out, often overlooked. As regards silence, Webern made its > dramatic effect clearer than ever before, and I find it difficult to imagine a > time when I didn't hear, say, the beginning of the 'Eroica' without taking > into account the effect of the pauses (there are, of course, countless other > examples of the structural significance of silence in classical music). > > Cage knew what he was doing, and why. Of course he was an iconoclast, but a > fascinating one, like so many intelligent Americans. We Europeans tend to look > at our heritage in an incestuous way, while the Americans see it from the > outside, and ask, perfectly sensibly, 'Why all the fuss?' I first came across this > as a post-grad in Oxford in the 1960s, where many of my best friends were > Americans. Initially one was shocked by their questions, but very soon saw that > they were in reality questioning not the 'thing in itself', but our European > attitude towards it, encrusted with devotion, history, reverence because it was > 'old', and convinced it was 'great' because we had been told by the powers > that be that it was. Their attitude was, 'What does it mean to ME?', and not > what the establishment intend it to mean to me. It was intensely refreshing, and > has certainly left its mark on me for life. 'Go your own way', was the > message, 'Do your own thing, and if the toffs don't like it, well, hard luck on the > toffs!' > > There is lot to be said for that. Friends think it odd that a lover of serial > music like me should take up the lute, but, following the lesson my American > friends taught me, I've always gone my own way, and am glad I've done so. John > Cage is part of that way of thinking. He questioned the basis of European > music, above all its love of itself, and that was a great moment in the recent > history of the art. Boulez, Messiaen and others owe a huge debt to him, for he > helped return sound to the world of sound, and it no longer was there merely to > portray things, landscapes, feelings, etc., but simply to be sound for its > own wonderful sake. Mallarme, did much the same for poetry. But as I say, I > never liked Cage as a musician. But as a pointer and prophet, he was peerless. > Cheers > > Tom
