CHAT: Philip Glass Knockin'

On Thu, 12 Oct 2000, czHANg wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Oct 2000 13:48:53 -0600 Dirkmeister wrote:
"Dirkmeister"?! Hmmm. Haven't been called that since High School.

> >  Okay John, you started it.
> >
> <SNIP>  A:  Knock, knock.
> >  B:  Who's there?
> >  A:  Knock, knock.
> >  B:  Who's there?
> >  A:  Knock, knock.
> >  B:  Who's there?
> >  A:  Philip Glass.
>
> sheesh... ::snare rimshot & cymbal crash::
> Though I am no big fan of Philip Glass, he can be credited for introducing
> many to more Asian-sense of musical forms.
Hang on there, big guy. I *am* a big fan of Philip Glass (especially
the early stuff). But the joke is still funny! It could equally well
have been Steve Reich in the punch line (another of my faves), and it
would still have been funny. So relax; no offense was intended.

I'm not sure I would agree though that there is an "Asian-sense" to
Glass' music (early or late). In fact, I see Glass, Reich, Riley, and
Young as being proto-typically Western in their willingness to plunder
foreign traditions and appropriate their material and techniques and
call it their own. What a Western thing to do, after all!

> OBCONLANG/CONCULTURE: again even a culture's sense of time - being part &
> parcel of their worldview - can influence not only the language, but it's
> sense of what is and is not "music".
>
> music IMHO is different things to different cultures and even subcultures.
> It is presuming a lot to say music is a universal language cuz then the
> question that comes up is: how do you define "music"?
Indeed. I find that I'm increasingly drawn to music which has a
ritual/ceremonial function or orientation; I've always enjoyed
liturgical music of all sorts. But then this sort of music is meant to
be an adjunct to the ritual or ceremony which it accompanies and not
an object in and of itself.

I have always rejected the assertion that music is a "universal
language." Here's a specific example, why is it that the parallel
seconds in Bulgarian folk music (as realized by the Bulgarian Women's
Choir) evoke joy in that tradition, when in Western Europe they are
merely shrill and grating? So much for the "universal language."

> For instance,I like soundscapes and DarkAmbient music...(amongst other
> musics)... some consider these kinds of music _soft noise_ or _boring
> environmental sounds_. I come from a different "head-space" than these
> "philistines" who don't understand the idea of sonic awareness and
> soundscape aesthetic appreciation. In thisday and age, it takes a
> meditative/contemplative ability that not many are willing or able to
> cultivate.
I'm *not* very fond of ambient music or soundscapes, but I reject the
idea that that makes me a "philistine." I do enjoy Morton Feldman, who
has a similar sense of time(lessness).

Now for a completely different sonic experience, check out Glenn
Branca. I'd recommend Symphony #3 "Gloria"; it's essentially an
amplified wall of sound tuned to the overtone series. I play it when I
want to be left alone (among other occasions), since no one will come
into the room while it's on.

The Dirkmeister

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu