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<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">>>
How deader was art back when Michel-Ange was having a contract with<br>
>> the <br>
>> Church and the Church was a major political power ? What with
those<br>
>> long <br>
>> spans of art history in which if art wasn't about the bible it
was<br>
>> about <br>
>> the royal family. You can't get much more
politically-controlled than<br>
>> <br>
>> that.<br>
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<br>
You should really listen to some old music. Bach, for instance, did
time in jail, because he spoke down to his employer once. And people
used to think his music was "dirty"(Not much has changed since. Same
thing happens today when the general public is confronted with
something a bit unfamiliar, and people will still today not be able to
digest some of Bachs music, because it is just too hard to listen to).<br>
<br>
He wrote mostly religious music, and it was not always so comfortable
for the church people, since Bach liked to play really dissonant music.
He stretched the boundaries, when he could.<br>
<br>
Of course, he couldn't go too far. There are some pieces where he goes
much further, which are not meant for Concert use (for the genereal
public). Check out the fugue in h-minor in Wohltemperierte Clavier,
Book 1. The initial melody line is 20th century stuff. Some of the
pieces Bach wrote had no audience, so he wrote them for himself and
anyone who would listen. Mostly music scholars would play and study it.<br>
<br>
People pretty much didn't know about Bachs existence until Mendelssohn
brought his
music back to life in the 20th century, about 100 years after Bach had
died, though composers in Europe always knew about Bach and studied his
music with great interest. <br>
Now of course, who doesn't know about Bach. But do they really know
about Bach?<br>
<br>
Composers through all times have done that sort of thing. Plato
disliked chromatic, improvised music that had no vocals. Plato thought
certain music was morally destructive, while some other music was
morally empowering. So he wanted to censor certain types of music. At
least to keep it from young people hear it who were destined to become
soldiers or leaders.<br>
They were playing "jazz" already in Ancient Greece, and Plato hated it.<br>
He is many ways the first fundamentalist. His ideas are not too far
from any totalitarian idea-based movement.<br>
<br>
I get a little uncomfortable sometimes when talking about art. People
can have a very sort of romantic idea about it. They talk about artists
as if they don't really exist. The artist is so elevated that a
"normal" person can't even begin to comprehend the mysteries of the
artist mind. <br>
This is not a too uncommon belief among the artists them selves, which
kind of makes the situation worse.<br>
I think it is only one stone throw away from religion, which in a way,
any belief can be.<br>
Wagner met with his fellow Bruckner once, and they went to pray at
Wagners grave (he had already had it built for himself). <br>
<br>
Beethovens idea of making music for the masses was kind of
revolutionary. <br>
Now, making music for the masses is kind of selling out.<br>
But, what has changed?<br>
Not music. Not the artist. <br>
Society, maybe. The relationship between the art and society.<br>
<br>
I'm not much for commercial music, or anything commercial. But I'm not
really against it either. I'm not going to decide for anyone else. I'll
leave that to Plato Co.<br>
<br>
-Ailo<br>
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