On the other hand, suppose a person had never heard music. No amount of writing could convey it accurately. And if one had never seen architecture, dancing would be a poor way to explain it. Compared to say, illustration or film. RR
patrick leader wrote: > i think the original quote is "writing about music is like dancing about > architecture" and i think joni stole it (as she so often does) from > nietsche. usually she gives him credit, though. > > i hate the comment, though, whether it's from joni, jerry garcia, or > nietsche. i think, at the minimum, it displays ignorance about the > possibilities of dancing. as a visual art, dancing is actually well-suited > to be "about" architecture, and several choreographers i'm familiar with > have done fantastic work creating dances about architecture. george > balanchine's 50's neoclassical ballets reflected the edgyness of new york > life then, including the agressive expansion of its skyline. lar lubovitch > in the '80s made a dance called 'big shoulders', a tribute to his home town > chicago, that truly did reflect its architecture. and mark morris' dance > 'marble halls' brilliantly drew the connections between bach's musical > structures and the baroque architecture of bach's era. and you know, there > ARE more. > > furthermore, i think nietsche's statement is perverse in its avoidance of > the fact that art is always searching to describe what's outside of itself. > does joni think writing should only be about writing? does she write music > that's only about music? is poetry about love lame because it's not > actually love? of course not, but neitsche and joni miss that point. > > i'm a little more angry with joni, because i find the comment self-serving. > she was unhappy with the writing about her music at that point, so she > devalues all of it, and not even with her own words. it's a bit childish, > and for someone who has a pretty good eye and ear for art, a little > tone-deaf-and-blind. i've never read proust, but i understand his writing > about music is sublime. i've read both fiction and non-fiction about music > made my heart sing. i know it's out there, good writing about music. and i > hope to see more good dancing about architecture. i feel a little sorry for > joni if she can't read and see the those joys. > > patrick, end mild rant
