Re: Composer Elitism

Reading Sarah's Post about giving listeners something to hold onto reminds me that Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra often gives the pieces she's conducting, from Beethoven to John Adams, a little preamble, sometimes even having the orchestra play excerpts of motives, melodies, gestures, and ideas that the audience can listen for. I don't know how to measure how effective this is, but she has been programming more new things and people seem (from clapping, attendance, etc.) to be interested. My dad, as a non-musician, really loves these intros and he is always disappointed when they don't happen. As a composer, these preambles certainly are helpful to me, as well. Alsop also offers concerts that are billed as more of an educational experience with her Off the Cuff series. 

I think it's great that she does both, because there are definitely people who don't want the full-on history/musicology/theory lesson, but wouldn't mind having a few things pointed out before hearing the whole piece. 

On another topic, I also remember that I hated a lot of new music at first (especially Stockhausen), and it wasn't until one of my professors at Carleton pointed out to me some of the cultural psychology that went into breaking away from Germanic traditions, especially after WWII, that I began to really understand the need for new ideas and to be more open-minded to it. Sometimes I think people need musical connections and other times they need external connections, such as a history lesson. I also have found that often people respond well to music if they can connect some of the aural ideas to visual analogues. For example, if you explain to someone that Debussy and Stravinsky are the musical versions of Impressionism and Cubism respectively, their music might resonate more than it would otherwise. 

I have heard composers complain about pieces that are dependent on program notes. And it's true that I generally believe that music should be strong enough to stand on its own without explanation. But giving an explanation can't hurt, and it sure seems like for a lot of people (and for reengaging with our audience--musicians and non-musicians alike) it might really help!

Posted by Natalie