Re: [microsound] anti-correlation

[James Harkins <jamshark70@xxxxxxxxx>]

Allow me to introduce myself to the list by citing the wisdom of the 
great W. C. Fields:

"The arguments are so petty because the stakes are so low."

With that said, there are a few points worth a response.

anechoic writes:

> > and I find the violent outbursts against constructing a highly 
> > "informed" (read: intellectually legitimizing) music rather sad and 
> > empty headed...every artistic discipline has an intellectual 
> > component and microsound is no exception...so deal with it or fire 
> > up MTV and forget about it...<<

I'm a little hypersensitive to the sense of artists "reacting 
against" so strongly ... one can never eliminate that element of 
reacting against, not completely, but far too many artists kill their 
own work before they get started by forming their identity around 
this reacting against. I'm hypersensitive to this because that's what 
I did through most of my music schooling, and I'm still working to 
free myself from it -- this could, of course, be seen as a reaction 
against the academic climate! So one is never really free. I guess 
the difference for me is, I know I can't find the answer to that 
puzzle in my creative work. I find the answer in silence, and the 
work comes out of the silence.

I don't know that I see these outbursts as being so violent, or even 
necessarily outbursts. Knee-jerk reactions against intellectualism 
are indeed sad and empty headed ... but it's not at all sad to seek 
the middle way between appeals to the intellect as an excuse to avoid 
spirit in music, and appeals to the soul as an excuse to be 
intellectually lazy. It's not empty headed to see that intellect 
alone won't save our race, nor to see that the soul dies if it's 
unwilling to stretch.

What is valuable about intellect? What is valuable about soul? How do 
they work together? Why do they get out of balance so easily? Do we 
try to do anything as artists to restore this balance for ourselves? 
If not, why not? Those questions are some of why I admire neither 
Xenakis nor most of what's on MTV.

This is not a criticism of Kim's work, which I don't know ... just 
general comments. I'm trying to find a way to depolarize the debate, 
so we can find our way into the messy middle where the truth is.

James
--
 ______                         | "To be thoroughly lazy is a tough
 \    /  H. James Harkins       |  job, but somebody has to do it.
  \  /   jamshark70@xxxxxxxxx   |  Industrious people build industry.
   \/                           |  Lazy people build civilization."
                                |                -- Kazuaki Tanahashi

                  http://www.duke.edu/~jharkins

"Never does hatred cease by hating in return; only through love
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                                                  -- Dhammapada