On 11.04.2006 Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
It's worth thinking about if you're hunting for music to preserve. Our own
time is screaming for your attention. When I die, Gilles's work (and mine,
too) goes to the dump. Pick a box. I'll pay shipping.
I think you can have a different perspective: Perhaps in 200 years time
someone will find your box, make a big commercial success out of it, and
give you the fame you deserved in your life-time. Unfortunately for you
you will never benefit from this financially. But who knows, the New
Grove 2200 edition might name you along with the great classics.
Seriously, any music of even the most mediocre quality is worth
preserving. Those who are working to publish and perform Stölzel's music
would probably never publish or perform any of today's music anyway. If
there is a market for mediocre baroque music, then it is a good thing to
open it. This gives many musicians an income. The much I can understand
doubts about certain aspects of the Early Music movement (being myself
very much a part of it) we have to realize that it certainly gave the
music market a huge push in the 80s, and is still generating lots of
work (at least here in Europe), which otherwise wouldn't exist.
Fashion does play a huge role in this, we can certainly question a lot
of things about it, but eventually I'd rather have a bigger croud
interested in music because they like wild italians dancing around on
stage playing music which even at its own time was considered
unimportant, than noone interested in music at all.
The Early Music movement, along with "rediscoveries" of previously
unknown music is certainly very much a 20th century phenomenon, and in
itself part of 20th century music (in a similar way as the Rennaissance
is a 15th/16th century phenomenon, not anything truly ancient, even
though that was the idea at the time). We shall see whether it will last
more than a few years into the 21st century.
Johannes
--
http://www.musikmanufaktur.com
http://www.camerata-berolinensis.de
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