Steve Gaunt Pontificates
Music Snobs.
 Bearing
in mind that my short missive on Desert
Island Discs got more reaction than most, this should give those
same readers more of what I am sure they deserve.
Musical snobbery, here we are in 2003 and there are still plenty
of bores about who believe that if music isn’t a so called
'Classical piece' or composed by someone who went to 'a music college'
it isn’t worth listening to.
In fact that last statement can't stand because some of our best
contemporary artists (members of Queen for example) did go to music
college but these snobs will not consider that.
It really is the case that they are simply snobs. The only reason
they have for discounting 'non-Classical music” is the fact
that they believe that they are something special because that is
what they like and 'modern music' is what they have been brought
up to believe is rubbish.
Don’t get me wrong I have nothing at all against Classical
music or the people who composed it even if it was a very long time
ago for example Vivaldi’s 'Four Seasons' stands among the
great works of musical composition, but so does the Beatles 'Abbey
Road' or Led Zeppelins 'Physical Graffitti' or The Beach Boys 'Pet
Sounds', to name just three.
Conversely, in my opinion, some of the so called modern Classical
music, is no more than a complex mish mash of discordant noises,
but even then I am not going to stand on a box (makes a change)
and say that it is rubbish, I am sure that a lot of thought went
into it?
What about the instruments argument
These snobs sometimes say that modern music lacks credibility because
it is not played on 'proper instruments'’ although this is
hardly the case Modern music is often played with an orchestral
accompaniment, but let us consider what someone like Vivaldi or
Beethoven would have done if they had access to modern instruments?
What the snobs always forget is that Beethoven and the like were
the popular musicians of their day; hordes of the unwashed packed
their concerts along with the well-to-do. I would like to bet that
if they had guitars or synthesisers they would have used them.
Other arguments they use are those of complexity and length.
They say "How can it be any good if it only last a few minutes."
So that's a lot of Richard Strauss's tone poems out of the window
as well.
As for complexity well they really don’t listen to modern
music properly do they?
For me Zeppelins 'How many more times', from the first album, surpasses
many classical pieces not just for it’s sheer power and energy
but also the changes, pauses and sustained notes take the breath
away. The 'tingle factor' indeed.
Your views on Steve pontificates.
I would be a hypocrite if I didn't allow any replies to my pontifications
so if you want to contribute send your piece to steve_gaunt@huddersfield1.co.uk
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