Getting up early and fighting through the morning stretches that seem more necessary at age 51 than bygone years, and dealing with the tightened tendons in the feet, I eventually landed in my chair to find out about the news, read about the economy, and think about music. Music is not always my profession, having made the leap into writing and administration, but it will always be my passion. Music holds an abundance of complexity, emotional depth, and opportunity for exploration at all levels of the musical strata. Sadly and joyfully music also is never quite good enough. A composition can always be improved (although the Beethoven Violin Concerto comes pretty close to perfection!), and a performance can always be stronger. My goals as a musician are never quite met, both as an active performer/composer and as a listener, and I deal with this truth in an ironic blend of excitement and discouragement. In music, like athletics, or wealth, one can never be entirely satisfied. This is both compelling and dispelling.
Youtube certainly is a magnificent resource for music. Regardless of one's interest, be it art music or country or gospel or rock or punk or any number of musical genres, youtube has something for everyone. As a music teacher, I set up about 10 tabs on my browser and supplement my lecture with examples from youtube. The teaching is efficient and the learning becomes multi-dimensioned, with instant examples of whatever is being discussed at the fingertips. It makes for a zingy ride as we ping-pong between cognition and aural experiences enhanced by the visual. A well-planned lesson of Charles Ives can show pictures of him, his house, his piano, moving rapidly to musical examples displaying his theoretical language, arriving at a brief but thorough look at his song output. It makes for a solid Ivesian experience that is not easily forgotten and easily assessed.
But this morning was not about Ives or art music at all. I am enjoying listening to the marvelous singing of Carrie Underwood. Not being a big country/western fan, I do have some favorites here and there. It is unusual for a dean of music to admit to liking something other than art music but in truth I do. A fan of Chicago, Stevie Wonder, most jazz, Skillet, Lady Gaga, Elton John, and Broadway musicals, I also enjoy Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and am a die-hard Elvis fan. Now I may add Carrie Underwood to the list. She really has a great voice. Wonderful phrasing, emotional power, wide range, personal expression, and lots of great musical instincts.
I do get a little uncomfortable, almost edgy, about the strident vocals reaching for high notes, the delayed vibrato, and the country style scooping, but I cannot deny her amazing ability to turn a phrase, to find the high point, to sing accurately and powerfully. Quite an artist for sure.
On the other side, I have really been enjoying the music of Pierre Boulez. Very complicated, rich music with a collective kind of energy that keeps the listener guessing and eagerly awaiting the next event. Of course I recognize that his music has a limited audience and that much of it is atonal without enough repetition to feel comfortable. Also the extreme order of the musical events seems to result in a random quality that is absurdly ironic. But those things aside, I really enjoy hearing his music.
How can I enjoy Carrie Underwood and Pierre Boulez on the same day? Not sure I can answer this except to say that I love music and sound and I tend to respect all of it for what it is. Not that I like everything I hear, but I do like that I can hear it and that it exists. We may have preferences for certain sounds and certain kinds of order in the sounds, but our desire for one type of music does not preempt the validity of other kinds of music in culture. Rejecting Boulez does not detract from its worth, nor does liking Carrie Underwood make it the superior genre. While liking both may be unusual, it neither elevates the quality of their music nor diminishes it.
Rather than working hard to make others like what I like or to respond to music the way I do, I am comfortable living in musical isolation at least to an extent. That stated, I also have a responsibility as an academician and administrator to teach students the vast array of elements and historical influence of music on a broad scale. How they use that knowledge and how they develop their own preferences or application is up to them. I cannot legislate nor insist on students' preferences for genres or sounds, but I can uphold my academic integrity by teaching them the complex musical world and materials needed for music making.
So back to my eclectic musical life. I love it but suspect it confuses others. Makes sense others are confused since I am a bit confused myself! But as a famous man once said, why do I have be consistent and predictable? (Al Tucker).
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