What a joke! Miller being the looker downer upon instead of the lookee downed upon. This sort of list is the great leveler. We are all of us rowers in the same boat, except when we write out our commands and then we fancy ourselves a captain at the rudder, if so very briefly. WC
--- On Sun, 11/16/08, GEOFF CREALOCK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: GEOFF CREALOCK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: recognition of skill > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 7:59 PM > Chris: Being (at the moment) prepared to forfeit all my > 'cred" on the list: > I enjoy, in general, Paganini's compositions more than > Beethoven's. Besides > looking down on my taste and sophistication, what else does > that imply about > my tastes in your eyes? > Geoff C > And if I enjoy Arvo Part and Steve Reich. can I gain any > 'cred" back? > > >From: "Chris Miller" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [email protected] > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: Re: recognition of skill > >Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:06:48 GMT > > > >I don't think an aesthetic experience is different > from any other except to > >the degree that we enjoy and get involved with it. > > > >We can never know everything about what we or anyone > else has experienced > >-- > >but still we can be objective about certain, specific > mis-apprehensions. > > > >A person who has seen "Hamlet" and > doesn't realize that the uncle has > >murdered > >the father has missed something very important about > the play. (whether > >that > >person believes in ghosts or not) > > > >Just so -- a person who is mostly impressed by the > virtuosity of a musical > >performance has not been strongly affected by the music > -- at least at the > >moment that recollection is occurring (which is, BTW, > my usual response to > >"free jazz" -- all that impresses me is the > instrumental virtuosity) > > > >Virtuosity is mostly irrelevant in the visual arts -- > but it's a very big > >deal > >in the world of classical music because there is so > much intense > >competition > >among so many people to perform so few pieces. > Virtuosity is what sets them > >apart -- and it's also what most people in the > audience are going to > >notice. > > > >I've gotten to know a husband-wife team of > classical musicians over the > >past > >few years -- where the husband stands out as an > incredible virtuoso on his > >instrument. He does things very few other people can > do -- and as a result > >he > >gives master classes and performances continuously all > over the world. > > > >But in my humble opinion -- his wife delivers a much > more emotional > >performance -- and that's what I buy concert > tickets to hear - with > >someone > >like him as the perfect accompanist. > > > >It's like the difference between a world-class > gymnast at the Olympics - > >and a > >ballerina -- which is a real difference -- even if most > people prefer to > >watch > >the gymnasts. > > > >(and yes -- there is some music that seems to have been > written just to > >show > >off virtuosity -- but nobody puts Paganini at the same > level as Beethoven > >-- > >do they ?) > > > >There *are* wrong reasons for liking things -- and that > is the basis of an > >education in aesthetics - an education that seems to be > completely outside > >the > >scope of the Humanities as we now know them. > > > > > > ****************** > > > > > > > > > > >But the bigger issue is related to whether or not > we can judge anyone's > >aesthetic subjectivity. I think not. How is Chris, or > anyone, to know > >what > >my aesthetic experience is? How can anyone say that > another's aesthetic > >experience is wrong, or limited, or missing? This the > the fundamental > >question we ask about aesthetic experience. Can it be > objectively > >prescribed > >or measured? Can we experience art for the wrong > reasons? Are there > >proscriptively wrong reasons? I say no. No. No. And > No. That's why I > >quoted > >Gombrich a while back, his saying that there are no > wrong reasons for > >liking > >an artwork. This does not exclude potential > amplifications of liking. > > > >____________________________________________________________ > >Click here to find experienced pros to help with your > home improvement > >project. > >http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/PnY6rc1zNXfk6Cs3zvX7ERJHMZr6Oc > >AlclQdaHw6tB8iRUyXZGRRC/
