Chuck Israels wrote:
On Mar 27, 2008, at 3:28 AM, dhbailey wrote:
Most music appreciation classes leave the class members with the
impression that the historical music history periods all produced only
masterworks by superior composers and fail to address the fact that
much of what was written during those periods is no different from
much which is written during our own lifetimes -- Crap.
I think that every course, middle school, high school or college
level, should be required to begin with the statement of Sturgeon's
Law. And that it should be asked time and again on exams so that
people have a more realistic image of any historical time period,
whether music, literature, dance, or the plastic arts (painting,
sculpture, architecture).
I think I would begin such a class with the statement "90% of anything
is crap. That includes the Baroque Era of music history, which we
will be studying in this class. You're lucky in that we will be
studying the 10% of Baroque music which isn't crap, but I want you all
to remember that while these composers we will be studying were
creating these masterworks, there were many more composers turning out
efficient but hardly worthwhile music that we won't be studying."
Not to make too strong a case or say that the law was completely
suspended, but it does seem to me that, in reference to American popular
music of (approximately) the first half of the 20th Century, Sturgeon's
percentages need adjustment.
Are you saying that there was a much higher percentage of good stuff
relative to crap, or that 90% crap is rating things too conservatively
and that really a higher percentage than a "mere" 90% was crap, leaving
something like 1% or less of good stuff?
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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