Composers Forum is a daily web log that allows invited contemporary composers to share their thoughts and ideas on any topic that interests them--from the ethereal, like how new music gets created, music history, theory, performance, other composers, alive or dead, to the mundane, like getting works played and recorded and the joys of teaching. If you're a professional composer and would like to participate, send us an e-mail.
Record companies, artists and publicists are invited to submit CDs to be considered for review. Send to: Jerry Bowles, Editor, Sequenza 21, 340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019
Aren't we overreaching by assuming that "meaning" is something a composer, or any artist, can build into a work rather than what the listener or viewer gets out of it? I would argue that what most modern music lacks is not meaning but an emotional payback to the listener. The most successful (commercially and artistically) modern composers--John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, Arvo Part--succeed not because their work "means" something but because it stirs the emotions of listeners. Never underestimate the power of a good hook.
posted by Jerry Bowles
10:08 AM
