Brass Band Logo

NJH Music Logo

Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright © 2016 NJH Music
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Songs for BL (was National Test Piece)

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Williams <willi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 10 June 1998 07:39
Subject: Re: Songs for BL (was National Test Piece)


>In message <E0yj6CS-0007F2-00@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Alec Gallagher
><alec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Peter Younghusband <monkey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>Date: 05 June 1998 23:55
>>Subject: Re: National Finals test - piece

>Sorry Alec, you're on your own here about BL. Rarely have I wasted as
>much time and effort as I did on that piece of junk.

I don't mind people saying they don't *like* a particular piece of music or
particular composer, but it really is out of order to describe it as 'junk'.
Mr Howarth is, after all, an internationally respected musician in the big
wide world of music beyond brass bands and didn't get there by writing
'junk'. To use such language about the work of a bloke with more musical
talent in his little finger than you and I put together is ever so slightly
insulting!

I'm not overkeen on Mozart, to the extent that I don't have a single
recording of his music in my collection - it all sounds a bit 'samey' to me
(and I'm sure that will provoke some comments!) - but I wouldn't for one
minute call it 'junk', when it so obviously isn't.  Likewise with Edrich
Siebert - his arrangements aren't particularly inspiring, in my opinion, but
it's not 'junk' - plenty of bands still play his pieces.  There is no such
thing as good or bad music - only music you like or music you don't like, to
whatever degree.

Inevitably, the more challenging examples of contemporary music require a
greater degree of concentration from the listener, and for some, even most,
people, it is easier to discard it as 'junk' rather than make the effort to
apply their mind to it and try to understand and, yes, even enjoy it.  For
those who do make the effort, however, a whole new world of sound opens up.
It isn't as if this type of music is new - Schoenberg, Webern and all that
crowd were doing far more radical things eighty-odd years ago.  But sadly
such activities impinged little upon the
conservative world of bands. Closed ears, closed minds - the important thing
was the contest!

I might be on my own in this small brass world (well, apart from Adrian R),
but outside of it I am in good company -  there is no shortage of people
willing to pay hard earned cash, week in, week out,  to listen to exactly
this type of music in orchestral concert halls around the world - the
concerts admittedly tempered with more conventional repertoire in many
cases - and, of course, on CD.

>Mem RK - Brilliant. Lets get that one out too.

I AGREE!!!
>
>Cheers
>
>" I survived BL - just " Kev.

Best wishes

Alec

________________________
Alec Gallagher
alec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


--
unsubscribe or receive the list in digest form, mail a message of 'help' to
listserver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Services] [Contact Us] [Advertise with us] [About] [Tell a friend about us] [Copyright © 2016 NJH Music]