Chuck Israels wrote:
On Feb 21, 2007, at 11:04 AM, Andrew Stiller wrote:
On Feb 21, 2007, at 10:46 AM, Chuck Israels wrote:
One of the most egregious examples of this kind of thing is the
practice of playing recorded music before performances of live music
in some venues.
Again, nothing new. Consider the "first music" and "second music"
played (live, of course)
Andrew,
There is, of course, a parallel here, but I think there's a big
difference between live and recorded music being used in this way. Back
in the days when I was making a living (and a life) playing bass in jazz
clubs in NY, I was often part of the "intermission" trio - playing
between sets of higher visibility players. (I played with Bobby Timmons
and Roland Hanna - working opposite Monk and Mingus - who were the main
draws.)
There is much to consider here - a recording in a public place is quite
different from a live group.
From an acoustical point of view, certainly, as well as a
making-a-living point of view.
But from a wall-to-wall-music experience with no down time for the ears
(or the musical perception part of the brain) there's really no
difference. If one can't simply sit without hearing music, then it's
too much music, in my opinion.
Given wall-to-wall, sunup-to-sundown-and-later,
constant-barrage-of-music, I'd rather have live than recorded music, but
having people play music in the intermissions of other people's
concerts, while good for those intermission players to be heard, is
overkill, in my opinion.
But this does bring up another side-track, which is related: Why can't
more people be content to simply sit in silence? I have a rich inner
life and a vivid imagination, and I am quite content to sit in an
intermission of a play/concert/whatever and simply be. But people I am
with are immediately bursting into conversation, which is often no more
meaningful than listening to recorded music as far as intellectual
stimulation goes. there are too many people who have too great a need
to hear something and when there's nothing else to hear, they speak.
Nothing important, just something so there's no silence.
Far too many people are afraid of silence, in my opinion, and as long as
they exist there will be sound constantly, either drivel spilling from
their mouths as they think outloud as to whether they should paint the
bathroom beige or maybe they should write a letter to their aunt or
maybe it'll rain by Sunday but wouldn't it be nice if . . . or demanding
that there be music either from a loudspeaker or from some other human
being or demanding that the volume be turned up on the TV so they can
hear what the newscaster is saying.
On those occasions when I have provided music for a local Unitarian
church, they have a wonderful tradition of total silence before the
service begins. Everyone simply sits and is quiet. The prelude music
is actually part of the service, and everybody is in place to listen,
not trailing in at the last minute so they won't have to hear too much
boring music, or using the music to hide the fact that they're restless.
Total calm and peace, and then the service begins. They base it on a
quote which I can't recall exactly nor can I recall who said it but I
believe it was either Thoreau or Emerson, something about "enjoying the
silence before the service begins."
I wish more people these days could do just that. But probably, judging
from the quote from Emerson or Thoreau, silence among groups of people
was just as hard to come by 150 or 200 years ago as it is today.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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