Does instrumental music 'talk'? Does language on the page make music? Music plus language, opera for example, enrolls lifelong adherents, supporters and practictioners.
The latter used to embarrass me because secretly I thought opera was kinda silly, even weird. Well, I still think it's a bit weird, but then if I were single I'd think nothing of having a weird girl friend. Weird can be exciting. When Tito Gobi, as the tough policeman in Tosca, alone onstage 'speaks' "Tosca, you make me forget God," I'm thoroughly involved.
Music, all kinds, and writing, all kinds, I can handle, variously like, love, or despise, with confidence that intelligent discussion is quite possible on all of that. But how about painting? I've just acquired a five inch by six inch book - from Daedalus Catalogue - devoted to reproductions of, and commentary on, Van Gogh. Although very small the reproductions are sublime. The graphic arts, the wildly various works of 'Vincent,' as he signed his works, resist analysis and purposeful discussion far more than do writing and music. Why? All those swirls made by Vincent were to bind the world together so we'd love it, and love him too? Why didn't more people love Vincent? Do you love Vincent? I love Vincent, but he'd probably scare me too. What more can be said? Plenty, but not by me, unhappily.
Someone's gonna have to help me stop decrying music that doesn't last any longer than about six minutes. Yet, that's apparently about the average attention span of the world's music listeners. Anything longer doesn't sell. Ipod, is that how it's spelled? Right now that item is saving Mac, or whoever makes the million song-holding recorder/player. Why do you need a million different songs immediately available? How many operas would an Ipod hold? I'll wait while you Google.
Aesthetics
Main Entry: [2]aesthetic
Function: noun
Date: 1822
1 : plural but singular or plural in construction : a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty
2 : a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight <modernist aesthetics> <staging new ballets which reflected the aesthetic of the new nation —Mary Clarke & Clement Crisp>
3 : plural : a pleasing appearance or effect : BEAUTY <appreciated the aesthetics of the gemstones>
That might be what we're going over here. I'd settle for the abstraction that there's plenty of room in our brains to store and savor all art forms, and mingling of art forms. But, just the same, we can reserve the right to have special favorites.
Barry
No comments:
Post a Comment