On Monday, February 7, 2005, at 12:34 PM, Phil Daley wrote:
The first question: "Was this (Cage's) music as successful (moving, exciting, attractive) as other musics?"
I don't see how anyone can argue a yes answer to this question. The "scientific proof" would be that pretty much no one has ever heard of him (outside of academic music people).
Well, that's neither here nor there. What modern composer IS known outside of academic circles? Cage is at least as well-known as say, Takemitsu.
Furthermore, have you heard his percussion music? Granted, it was his earlier work, before his conceptual stuff that put him on the map, but I maintain that it contains the seeds of that conceptual music, and it is very successful.
The second question: "Could other music, composed on the same principle, be more successful?"
I suppose "no" is a little hypothetical.
If the second question had been: "Has other music, composed on the same principle, been more successful?"
The answer would be "NO".
Again, I point you to other percussion music, including African drumming, which embraces many of these principles. Also techno dance music, which although it has a function ("if a piece of art can be used to clean the oven, is it still art?" Woody Allen) is still WILDLY successful, AND popular.
Christopher
_______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
