We here (that's the blogging "we") at the Music Salon regard it as our ongoing mission to boldly go... No, wait, that's not it! Ok, to observe the fortunes of classical music as it struggles to survive in the harsh environment of the 21st century. Also, to praise the fine work of great performers and composers. To do some educational outreach from time to time. To do overviews of the repertoire. To appreciate popular music when that is possible and satirize it unmercifully when it is not. To expose hypocrisy now and then. One ongoing project is to uncover the shameful tactics and agendas of the "new" musicology and to point out how many so-called "friends" of classical music are in reality its worst enemies. To have fun, whenever feasible. To engage in entertaining debates with readers. But mostly to boldly go...
THE MUSIC SALON: classical music, popular culture, philosophy and anything else that catches my fancy...
Friday, August 26, 2016
The Music Salon Mission Statement
After putting up that post about Alarm Will Sound, I started thinking that perhaps the Music Salon needs a mission statement. So here goes:
We here (that's the blogging "we") at the Music Salon regard it as our ongoing mission to boldly go... No, wait, that's not it! Ok, to observe the fortunes of classical music as it struggles to survive in the harsh environment of the 21st century. Also, to praise the fine work of great performers and composers. To do some educational outreach from time to time. To do overviews of the repertoire. To appreciate popular music when that is possible and satirize it unmercifully when it is not. To expose hypocrisy now and then. One ongoing project is to uncover the shameful tactics and agendas of the "new" musicology and to point out how many so-called "friends" of classical music are in reality its worst enemies. To have fun, whenever feasible. To engage in entertaining debates with readers. But mostly to boldly go...
We here (that's the blogging "we") at the Music Salon regard it as our ongoing mission to boldly go... No, wait, that's not it! Ok, to observe the fortunes of classical music as it struggles to survive in the harsh environment of the 21st century. Also, to praise the fine work of great performers and composers. To do some educational outreach from time to time. To do overviews of the repertoire. To appreciate popular music when that is possible and satirize it unmercifully when it is not. To expose hypocrisy now and then. One ongoing project is to uncover the shameful tactics and agendas of the "new" musicology and to point out how many so-called "friends" of classical music are in reality its worst enemies. To have fun, whenever feasible. To engage in entertaining debates with readers. But mostly to boldly go...
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6 comments:
Yes, everyone and his brother have to have these these days, for whatever reason; the high school where I last worked had one, I reckon because nobody agrees about the point of it so the bureaucrats have to compose some form of words to cover that lack of agreed purpose. Not that they can't be useful in particular situations, sure, sure.
:-) I confuse Star Wars and Star Trek references on purpose simply to enjoy the shock and consternation that afflict aficionados when I do. 'Mr Spock is the one who wields the light saber, right?'
Good for you, Marc! I imagine that disconcerts nearly everyone.
But, at the end of the day, and despite all the lame sequels and the current bad re-boot, we can agree that Star Trek is The One, right?
The first thought is 'of course he must be joking' and so they begin to laugh, but I maintain my comedic deadpan and doubt creeps in, after a second or two finally eliciting, 'Star Wars, you mean Star Wars', or Trek, depending on who's brought it up. It's on Netflix, Star Trek, but it's one of those series I'm holding in reserve, as it were, in case I really need video (when bed-ridden for six weeks by a flesh-eating virus or something) one of these days. For some reason the only episode I remember has to do with the Tribbles.
Very famous episode, The Trouble with Tribbles. There was even a Deep Space Nine episode where they travel back in time and end up in the same episode. I may have watched too much science fiction...
People want to blog, nothing wrong with that. If you're not interested, don't read.
But the Star Trek music seems to have held up well and it provokes thoughts of early my early life (40+ years ago), including the ever present TV.
Can music mean a great deal to someone, for sentimental, nostalgic reasons, but be of poor quality, or pulpy?
The passage of time gives some music a wonderful glow. When I listen to the Chopin Preludes, the decades of listening to them add so much. (btw, I would not place them in the category of poor quality.) In the end, isn't it our interior life that responds to musical stimuli?
best,
Patrick
Hi Patrick and welcome to the Music Salon (unless you have already commented and I just forgot). Those are some interesting thoughts about the nature of music and memory that are not too often remarked on. Star Trek seems to have had some qualities that resonate for us many years later. They had some good writers including a number of pretty well known science fiction writers like Harlan Ellison. That opening theme I have always rather liked for some reason, though the soundtracks in general are rather formulaic.
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