Re: GG: Art of Fugue, and 12 tone

[Elisha J Tseng <elisha-jt@juno.com>]

Dear f-minoreans,
BE WARN.  This is a long email. :-)

On Fri, 20 Aug 1999 13:07:55 EDT Tranquil59@aol.com writes:

>The enjoyment and appreciation of music, like that of any art form, does
not have a "right" / "wrong" or "better"  / >"worse" absolute method. In
other words, no one can dictate to somebody else how to CORRECTLY listen
to 
>music, not even the composer.

Armando, you must be a Stokowskian! :-)  I believe Toscanini would have
disagreed forthright on your comment, when every markings by the composer
was the gospel to him. 

>Musicians and music lovers are, in my opinion,  wasting valuable energy
concerned about  RULES and ABSOLUTE >LAWS in the judgement of music and
art.  It strikes me as a type of misdirected and naive seriousness; like 
>suffering from academic constipation. Whatever has been suggested by
composers and other musicians should >only be taken as that, SUGGESTIONS.
Ultimatedly YOU have to decide what is right for you.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with my mom about the role of
the critics.  In this respect I do believe that GG had a point on the
critic's merit to judge and comment on other musicians and composers.  Is
it to be believed, that every man can judge his own music?  Certain music
critics are like the Enquirer of the art world--ie. Harold Schoenberg's
"I say, Ozzy" article on the 1962 Brahms Concerto performance--to have
their articles summaries appear at polite conversation.  Sometimes,
people read them so they can be aware of who's good and who's not so as
not to fall behind the popular "norm."  Perhaps the people were unsure of
their own merit to judge music, hence they rely on critics to do the
judging for them.

I am not, however, completely against critics who actually try to write
helpful criticisms rather than abstract comments.   Anthony Tommasini of
NYT could be one.  

There are strict guidelines as to how to play music with correct
"intonations" but the rest is up to the artist.  This is what
musicologists mean when they say an interpretation is "valid." 

On Fri, 20 Aug 1999 11:33:16 -0400 (EDT) Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>
writes:
>I've always looked on #9 as one of my least favorite of the set: doesn't
move me as much as the others, somehow, >either while playing or
listening.  That piece seems more aimed toward surface brilliance than
toward musical >depth.  That would explain its more immediate popularity,
though.

I agree.  Contrapunctus 9 is a rather "showman" piece in some respect,
but I still enjoy the sensation of playing it.  I think the first time it
dawned on me that the KDF is 20 variations based on one theme, was when I
watched Two Portraits and at the Off the Record, GG played a complete
Contrapunctus 1.  I noticed the theme is identical to the piece I was
playing, but slower and more meditative. I was practically  hypnotised. 
My teacher once commented that Bach wrote this work as to prove to the
world that he IS the greatest polyphonist ever lived.  I am not doubting
the validity of that comment.

>Check out the Donald Francis Tovey book, too.  

Who is D. F. Tovey, btw?

On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 17:13:56 -0500 John Hill <jphill@home.com> writes:

>>Another comment he said, was that, like the Goldberg Variations, Kunst
der Fuge must be played--during >>performance--in its entirety.

>I would tend not to agree.  Leaving aside the fact that I *can't* play
the whole thing from start to finish, I think some of >the pieces can
stand very nicely on their own.

IMHO, I do believe that KDF is very different from Goldberg Variations. 
A fugue is confined to a very strict style, whereas Goldberg Variations
contain Canons and Fugues and are interconnected from one variations to
another.  But fugue has a beginning and an end, that which the
modulations within can be varied but still follow strict guidelines ie.
no octaves; inversions etc.  At least, in contrapunctus 1 and 9, I think
they can stand on their own. 

On Fri, 20 Aug 1999 16:40:27 -0600 jerry and judy <jerbidoc@zianet.com>
writes:
>I don't remember how old you are, you told us once IIRC, and so I don't
want to start something inappropriate >between you and your mother 

I am 17.  And because of this I am having a jolly HARD time registering
at the Holiday Inn hotel.  I didn't know they have a policy that minors
under 18 cannot check out the hotel alone.  And sheesh! I'm going to be a
college student and I must follow a curfew!  Hopefully they'll make me an
exception because of the Gathering.

>Arnold Schoenberg did say,

>"Because if it is art, it is not for all, and if it is for all, it is
not art."

 Well said. I'll remember that. :-)

And Contrapunctus 9 is well memorized in my head.  I can't return my
brain to the library, now can I? ;)


Thank you all so much for your comments.

Cheers, Elisha 

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