I love these photos -- there's another one on an earlier post -- of Christopher Small and his partner. As I said in that post, the two men radiate joy. And, as I wrote, Small was a joyful voice, looking toward the future of classical music. Here's a site with many tributes from him (including one from me, which you can also read in my earlier post). And here's another tribute: Erica and I have been reading "Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening" by Christopher Small. Mr. Small challenges his readers to consider leaving … [Read more...]
What I’m teaching today
Today is the second meeting of my Juilliard graduate course on music criticism. I've blogged about the course before. Follow the link for details. But because there's been so much interest, maybe I'll go week by week, and say what I'm teaching. One thing I do each week is play music, and ask the students to describe what they hear. That's because a big focus of the course, as I've said here before, is learning to talk about music better. For me that means talking more precisely, more evocatively, more accurately, and in a more personal way. … [Read more...]
Another workshop
I know I'm neglecting other things I might post about. But this subject seems pretty hot. Patience, if it's not your cup of…shot of…[fill in your favorite hard or soft beverage; I'm partial to bourbon]. This post is about a workshop I taught for the Pittsburgh Symphony. I'll be posting on other subjects shortly. Prelude (about how I've worked when I teach how to talk and write about music): A few [people in a workshop I taught] were timid…but when I teach something like this -- and very definitely in my Juilliard course on music criticism -- … [Read more...]
A workshop I’ve taught
More on writing/talking about music, because as you'll see in another post, I'm inspired to start a business in which I help people do those things. In the past, I've taught workshops on these subjects. Here's one of them. I'll talk about others in future posts. Center for Arts Criticism, Minneapolis I did this workshop in the '80s. I had 15 or more people to work with, both pop and classical critics. My method: We read Greil Marcus's famous chapter on Elvis, from his first book, Mystery Train (one of the classics of rock criticism), … [Read more...]
Talking about music
Such gratifying response -- here, Facebook, Twitter -- to my thoughts about my music criticism course, and especially the part about learning to talk about music better. Seems to be something many people feel is needed. (If you read my post about the course, you'll see that talking about music is a big part of it.) So, more thoughts on all of that. I said in my post that it's important to be both objective and subjective. To describe, as accurately and vividly as you can, what you hear. And then to say what you think/feel about … [Read more...]
A thought
Some people have said they wished they could take my music criticism course. Conceivably, I could teach a version of it online. How that would work would have to be figured out. Maybe there could be a two-week immersion in what I teach. But I'm open to any ideas. I could do individual tutorials, too. And I'm available to visit schools, or other places, to speak about criticism. How can I help? Let me know! … [Read more...]
Relaunch, day two
My relaunch continues. I've got a new…well, a new home page. It's the beginning of a new website. I'll construct the site incrementally. Or (as I wrote on the page) by surprise. It'll take me awhile (of course). But I'll build it, I hope, in the rhythm of other parts of my relaunch. Want to help? I think of this as an interim site. Would anyone want to redesign it? Send me ideas! One thought I had -- if anyone cares to design a new home page for me, I can put it online, just for the fun of it. I could even use several, each for a while, to … [Read more...]
Relaunch
Labor Day's over. The new season starts. And, after vacation, this is when I've always restarted my blog. But this year there's more. Not just a restart. This year it's a relaunch, not just of the blog, but of everything I do online. And much that I'll do in the physical world. To start with, the blog has a new look, thanks to new software, courtesy (and what happy timing) of my ArtsJournal hosts. A big improvement, I think, and not just in looks. The blog should now be more flexible, which I'll hope brings me closer to all of you. And … [Read more...]
Going fishing
I'm going on vacation, and won't blog again till after Labor Day. Or, more evocatively, I'm going to treat myself to some time in my private art colony, aka my country home in Warwick, NY. Where I'll relaunch my book (the link takes you to old versions of it), and compose. (A cello piece.)Some thoughts, though, before I go. From time to time I send out a newsletter. Can't believe I haven't mentioned it in the blog, but if you click, you can read the latest issue. And if you click again, you can subscribe. In the fall, the newsletter will show … [Read more...]
One look at the future
I'm delighted -- amazed, thrilled, just over the moon -- about next season's programs at the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the first season under the orchestra's new conductor, Alan Pierson. Talk about the future of classical music! Pierson, an indie classical musician known for conducting Alarm Will Sound, a pretty astounding new music ensemble, is shaping the orchestra's season almost entirely around Brooklyn composers and Brooklyn communities:In this debut "reboot" season, the Brooklyn Phil features the work of generations of great Brooklyn … [Read more...]
Arresting data
I'm a little bemused at the debates that still seem to rage about whether classical music -- as an activity in our culture -- has declined. Seems to me that the only way you can think it hasn't is by bypassing some fairly clear data. So here's more, from a piece in the Washington Post on Wolf Trap, by my wife, Anne Midgette. Wolf Trap, of course, is the national park outside Washington which has been presenting arts events for 40 years. And I should stress that Anne wasn't looking for evidence, pro or con, for classical music's decline. … [Read more...]
Intermezzo
As I've tweeted, and posted on Facebook -- here's a sound I just love. Is it an animal, singing? Is it music from some other culture? No, it's an escalator at the Archives stop on the Washington DC Metro. Somehow it sings, and (to my ear) very wistfully, too. On Facebook, my friend Lucy Miller (hi, Lucy, and thanks) found someone this sound like. Roswell Rudd, a jazz trombonist. Here, on YouTube. Uncanny connection.And for more diversion, from the excellent "Click Track" pop music blog at the Washington Post, you can listen -- in … [Read more...]
The culture I’ve seen
Orchestra culture, I mean. A few years ago, I was visiting a friend, who also had another visitor -- the concertmaster of a Group 1 orchestra (referring to the League of American Orchestras classification of orchestras by budget size, in which the 20-odd largest are in Group 1). We were hanging out, talking in a relaxed, friendly way. And at one point, the concertmaster asked me, "What's the happiest day in a string player's life?" The answer: "The day they get tenure in an orchestra, and never have to practice again." Which was … [Read more...]
More unsatisfied
I know that what I'm writing here is difficult. I may seem to be attacking orchestra musicians. Which I'm not, not at all. I have the greatest respect for them. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't look at some difficulties they might have...which I'm hardly the first to mention.So, continuing from my last post...I'd mentioned studies and other writing, published in Harmony magazine in 1996, about how satisfied (or not) orchestra musicians were with their work. And I wrote about one of them, a study by Harvard psychologist Richard Hackman and … [Read more...]
Not so satisfied
Resuming my posts on how well orchestras play...My points today:orchestral musicians are deeply committed to their work, but not satisfied with itthey have trouble resolving this contradictionand since their main complaints are about the quality of the conductors they have to play for, they couldn't possibly believe -- in their hearts -- that their orchestras play as well as they ought toBut first, a look back:What I'm starting to get at here is the inner culture of orchestras. I began to touch on that in my "Four personalities" post, in which … [Read more...]