Re: [microsound] microsound+melody

[Michael Norris <michaeln@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 31 Mar 2000, Paul Abad wrote:

> It's interesting that a lot of time is spent purging melody from minimal
> /microscopic music.  I don't believe that the two are mutually exclusive.  I
> think in a form based on technical innovation, if the innovation is
> compromised and the work relies on melody to 'carry' the work, this can be
> seen as a fault.  But there are certainly cases where the two co-exist
> without compromising each other, and simply extend the boundries of that
> particular aesthetic or even merge it with other forms to create a new
> beauty.
> Thoughts?

Gavin Bryars - "Jesus' blood never failed me yet" springs to mind - it's a
definite melody, not just a short loop, but (as with most minimalist
music) the melody soon becomes irrelevant through repetition with small
changes and the changes become the music. - which is why it was a mistake
in the CD length version to put Tom Waits at the end, regardless of how
appropriately gravelly his voice might be - the melody reinstated as
central to the music rapidly becomes boring and the repetition that had
stood as the ground of the piece begins to work against it.

-m.