At 11:25 PM +0000 1/28/06, Owain Sutton wrote:
John Howell wrote:
(Academic: A composer who earns a living teaching because s/he
cannot write music that earns a living, but argues that any music
that sells is a sellout.)
A thoroughly unfair stereotype. Most composers I know who are in
academia would dearly love to be able to make enough money from
writing music to get out of teaching.
Oh, I agree completely! But are they willing to analyze the
marketplace and produce music suited to it? Mozart did. Haydn did.
Bach did. So did DuFay, Josquin, Palestrina and Byrd. I don't
believe anyone has ever accused them of "selling out"!
And I don't mean just movie scores or pop arrangements, either.
There are markets for good, singable church music that an average
choir can handle, and innovative choral music suitable for both
professional and university choruses that is within their grasp. If
a composer insists on writing music that only 3 choruses or 6 singers
or 2 string quartets in the world can sing well, s/he had better know
those performers and conductors very well! Same thing for symphonic
music (when there's a wide open market for wind band music), solo
sonatas and character pieces, and high quality literature for
students at every level. There are lots of markets, but not for
people who look down on them.
John
--
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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