Music Appreciation: My appreciation of Classical music is fairly stunted. I know the basics -- Beethoven Symphonies, Mozart Concertos, etc. And I know enough to know I like Bach above everyone (I have the Gould's Goldbergs, Tureck's Well-Tempered Clavier, and Orch. of the Enlightenment's Brandenbergs, and Julliard String Quartet's Art of the Fugue -- all on my Zune). Beyond that, I'm pathetic. Over the course of the month I stumbled on a couple of articles that caused me to wonder if any classical had even been created in my lifetime, 'cause I sure couldn't name anything.
Well the first idea that came up was that Classical music as an accessible product now exists almost solely for film scores. Certainly, I'd heard of John Williams, hadn't I? But there are many others: Bernard Herrmann scored numerous Hitchcock flicks among others, Enrico Morricone did the Clint Eastwood Westerns among others, Aaron Copland did some astounding work for film, but that was a bit before my lifetime. I just never made the connection in my brain that I was hearing modern Classical music. So there you go.
But of non-film based classical music one CD consistently showed up on recommended lists far and wide: Steven Reich's Different Trains. So I snagged a copy. It is absolutely mesmerizing. Different Trains uses a string quartet wherein the different instruments repeat a melody based on a spoken phrase that is related to train travel. The actual spoken phrases are interwoven with the melodies played on the instruments. The work is divided into three movements 1) America-before the war, 2) Europe-during the war, and 3) After the war. The phrases, and even the speakers, are connected to those time periods. It is virtually impossible to describe this work, other than to say it works very well and it is a remarkably appropriate and coherent use of sampling, which is rare in Classical works.
But it does beg the question, what makes this Classical music? Given the use of sampling why is this not considered some variation of the Electronica or Ambient genres. It uses sampled spoken words, sound effects and standard instrumentation in combination. It certainly eschews what might be considered traditional musical formats. How does this become classical music as opposed to, say, avant-garde electronica. I don't know? I don't doubt that there is a reason, which may be beyond my musical understanding. I'd just be curious to know what it is.
Fabulous piece of music, whatever it is.
Different Trains is usually combined on CD with another work, Electric Counterpoint, which is also quite beautiful. A looping mesh of guitars; bass and tenor, live and sampled. Also recommended.
P.S. Microsoft came through with an update to the Zune player software that allows for gapless playback (see last month's complaint), which is needed to for these pieces. Great timing MS!
