arete1952

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  1. Not that anyone asked me so I hope no one minds if I sound off... I like the Beatles very much but do not enjoy any of the above songs 'immensely'. In fact I intensely dislike 'I am the Walrus' and 'Helter Skelter' and would never dream of recommending them. 'Hey Jude' bores me silly...I can't say I dislike it as much as the previous two but if I never heard it again that would be fine with me. The others are fine songs to varying degrees but not among my favorites. But then I am something of anomaly as a Beatles fan in that I like the early and middle stuff best...there is not much post-Revolver (Parlophone LP not Capitol) that I really like. I'll take 'Anytime At All', 'No Reply', 'I'll Be Back', 'Things We Said Today' and 'It's Only Love' (among many others from the 1962-66 era) over any of the above. (Yes, I know Norwegian Wood is from that afore-mentioned era...and is, of course, my favorite among the above.) The best Beatles album is 'Rubber Soul' (Parlophone) with 'A Hard Day's Night' (again Parlophone...always Parlophone ) a very close second. Just my take and taste on these things....no 'intense offended' (as Archie Bunker used to say) to anyone. Best, Ken
  2. Michael: I have no interest in Spears' music...or Zappa's for that matter...my tastes run more along the lines of Palestrina, Monterverdi, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Copland, Corigliano, Rouse...as I say in my Personal Statement: "Life is too short to spend time listening to bad music." Ken
  3. Greetings Michael: So I guess I should be listening to Ms. Spears and others of her ilk since her/their numbers are in the multi-millions(?) Do you really want to use a variant on the old chestnut 'Forty million Frenchmen can't be wrong' as an argument in defense of Zappa? Best regards, Ken
  4. 1. The correct spelling is 'Copland'. 2. Composition-wise, Copland was light years above and beyond Zappa. Best regards, Ken
  5. In response to various posts regarding how we may value some music based on the result of associations, I believe the 'association' factor is very important. I listen primarily (95% of my listening time) to Western art music (aka classical music). The popular music to which I listen is from the 60s and early 70s, i.e, music I grew up with. What is essential, I think, is for people to be objective and realize the vast qualitative difference between the art and popular music and, if one enjoys popular music, accept it for what it is: entertainment not art. It is the musical equivalent of fast food: at its best it can be tasty and enjoyable to consume, but there really isn't much, if any, 'nutritional' value there. What I get out of the popular music I like is nostalgia and fun...it reminds me of a certain time in my life, etc. On a purely musical level it has nothing to offer. When I want to hear MUSIC I listen to Monteverdi, Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky, etc. Best to all, Ken
  6. So the validity of Willis' assertions is determined by his abilities as a composer? Argumentum ad hominem...and on an Objectivist forum yet. BIG YAWN... Best, Ken
  7. I respectfully disagree...you really think that their music is comparable to that of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, etc.???? Their music has very little presence on the programs of major and not-so-major orchestras in this country and around the world...their impact on classical orchestral music is practically non-existent. I do agree with your statement about the precarious state of classical music though.
  8. Dragonfly: Western art music (aka classical music) is my great passion...it is incomparable music--the greatest music ever created. That doesn't prevent me from enjoying some pop and rock (some, not much). What is essential, I think, is to OBJECTIVE and realize the vast qualitative difference between the art and popular music and, if one enjoys popular music, accept it for what it is: entertainment not art. It is the musical equivalent of fast food: at its best it can be tasty and enjoyable to consume, but there really isn't much, if any, 'nutritional' value there. What I get out of the popular music I like is nostalgia and fun...it reminds me of a certain time in my life, etc. On a purely musical level it has nothing to offer. When I want to hear MUSIC I listen to Monteverdi, Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky, etc. I can, however, understand someone not liking pop/rock music at all...so you may consider my a 'semi-ally'. Best, Ken
  9. What are these standards? Who created them? How were they created?
  10. Greetings all: Some months ago, over on the Objectivism Online site, I posted this link: http://www.unconservatory.org/articles/smartpeople.html which generated some very interesting and, ahem, passionate responses. Best to all, Ken
  11. I will have to 'fess up...it was I who posted that "Why Do So Many Smart People Listen to Such Terrible Music?" link over on ObjectivismOnline. And I must say it caused quite a brouhaha. For those that are interested here is the link: http://www.unconservatory.org/articles/smartpeople.html And, yes, on the main point of the article, I agree with author completely. Best to all, Ken
  12. Impossible for me to select one, but some of my favorites are: Machaut: Notre Dame Mass Ockeghem: Missa Mi-mi Byrd: Mass for Three Voices Monteverdi: L’Orfeo, Beatus vir J.S. Bach: Art of the Fugue, Brandenburg Concertos Haydn: Symphonies 22,46,60,63,77; Cello Concertos in C and D Beethoven: Symphonies; Piano Concertos #4 and #5; late string quartets, Violin Concerto Schubert: Symphonies #5 and #9, String Quintet in C; Rosemunde Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings, incidental music for Midsummer's Night Dream Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Opp. 46 and 72; Legends, Op.59; Serenade for Strings Vaughan Williams: Lark Ascending, Tallis Variations, Five Variations on Dives and Lazarus Copland: Quiet City, Our Town Also in regard to the "what do you mean by classical" discussion happening here... No offense, but this is not accurate. As we know, the term "classical" has numerous meanings. The correct musicological term for what the general public calls classical music is Western art music with classical being the period of Western art music from 1750 to 1825...the 6 main periods of Western art music: Medieval: c. 500 A.D. to 1450 Renaissance: 1450 to 1600 Baroque: 1600 to 1750 Classical: 1750 to 1825 Romantic: 1825 to 1900 Modern: 1900 to present (there are other terms which have been used for this period...this is a really general way to refer to this...and there are numerous styles within this period) Also, Western art music is not limited to music written for orchestra. Best to all, Ken