No, this is not necessarily a pessimistic, cynical diatribe against progress or the modern era, but is merely pointing out some sad history. Can we learn from the past? Is there a lesson in here somewhere?
Inheriting a French Horn and a stack of sheet music several years ago, I recently decided to go through the music, deciding what to discard and what to keep. I discovered in this stack of music several manuscripts. Excited at first, after all perhaps this was a gold mine, I quickly realized the author had merely copied and compiled previously published music into a notebook. A further look showed some nice warm-up exercises and a very scholarly performance edition of musical excerpts from symphonies. Meticulous handwriting and precise musical manuscript formed the documents which were of the highest order in accuracy and scholarship. Very fine work indeed but not original. Still, impressive.
A few weeks ago a lady retired from public school music teaching and brought her materials to the church for anyone interested. Years of collecting, of sweat and strain, of compiling music, and of writing out children's songs were included in this vast collection representing a lifetime of music teaching and compassion for children. Children's songs, games, materials, crafts, all contained within a few boxes. Magic for anyone about to start a teaching career.
Except for this one little truth. Everything found in the boxes, every manuscript of sheet music, every song and every pencil mark is found online for free. Just a click or two and voila--there it is in perfect form. All the horn excerpt music, all the children's songs, and even the games and materials--all available on the internet. The years of writing music, putting things together, meticulously copying music as a resource, is now available through searching on Google.
While there is great merit in the discipline required to write music, to compile certain things, to apply effort in putting things together, overall it now seems a waste. If 40 years of hard work by someone can now be acquired in a few seconds, does it negate the past effort? Maybe in some ways, perhaps most ways.
Mainly it makes me somewhat sad although I suppose the technology did not exist at the time nor the ultimate awareness of the inherent fruitless effort down the road. Yet it did all have value at some point, and it could be argued that any application of a discipline makes us better human beings. It could also be said that progress builds on past efforts with the aim of learning from history and growing out of those things that are essentially obsolete. In fact, maybe our goal should be, as a refined and continually progressing society, to make certain items and practices antiquated and even extinct.
Not sure though. Next could be books, pianos, paintings, pens, paper, staples, even desks, and the list goes on and on. Do I worry about it? In a way. Do I embrace the new? To an extent. But I do miss the old at times.
So I toss the past efforts of those who created something that is now at our fingertips with a click. But I give a moment pause, reflecting albeit briefly on the work, smiling too that in some sort of way, someday someone will likely toss my own work. I hope that person pauses and gives me a touch of credit!
1 comment:
I was alarmed some time ago to learn that old leather bound books are now being sought and traded not for reading but for decoration. Whole collections are displayed to make a room (or the room’s owner) more lofty or haughty than it/they are in reality. My wife and I converted the living room of our home into a library/music room. The walls (except one) are lined with bookshelves full of books that we have collected through our 37 years of marriage. The one excepted wall has a piano with book shelves on either side. My bagpipes are deposited on top of the piano.
Almost all of the books are hardback, a couple of hundred are leather bound with gold lettering. A few, mostly Boy Scout related and one set of New Testament commentaries, are paper back. I have read most of the books, some several times and intended to read the remaining after I retired (although I still have not found or made the time to do so!). But, my wife’s piano and my bagpipes are seldom ever played. It is the disciple thing. The hours required to play them well.
We also have an extensive collection of music recordings (most on vinyl) that was recorded by the best musicians on world class instruments. Our television cable offers over a hundred channels of music of all types. Our home computer has a very nice speaker system equipped with a subwoofer and unlimited music.
If we still lived in a time where great music was not readily available, would we put more disciple into playing our own?
I will never be a great musician, but I will always enjoy great music. Can using recorded music and other available means leave more time for me to pursue venues that I might be equipped and suited to do?
On the other hand, if today’s youth do not learn basic arithmetic, will they be able to do the necessary math if their computers should be rendered useless? Do today’s youth feel the same way about learning basic arithmetic as I do learning and practicing the bagpipes, and totally rely on their electronic aids, assuming the electronic aids will always be available?
Is there some way to reason with youth to make them want to learn the basics? Not just arithmetic but politics, health, history, getting along with each other, debate, seeing other ways of doing things?
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