[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [microsound] Is choral music ambient?



What lies the point in critical critique then, when the true answer is
always a contradicition, or an opposite?

There is no question.

On Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 1:52 AM, Michael Palace <palace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart tried to explain "hard-core" pornography,
> or
> what is obscene, by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define
> the
> kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . [b]ut I know it when I
> see it .
>
> I think that this might apply to ambient music.
>
> I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of music I
> understand
> to be ambient, but I know it when I hear it.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matt Tierney" <matthewdtierney@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: "microsound" <microsound@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 5:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [microsound] Is choral music ambient?
>
>
> > .,m
> >
> > The point is not to find out, but to read great responses like the one
> you
> > just gave...
> >
> > ~
> >
> > m
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 10:13 PM, craquemat <craque@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >> I personally have a problem with the term "Ambient". I remember one
> >> radio show I did at UMD where I spent the entire 3 hours playing (and
> >> comparing) music that was called "ambient".
> >>
> >> So that included music by Satie, Feldman, Cage, Richard D James,
> >> Autechre, If Bwana, John Zorn, and a handful of other "ambient"
> artists.
> >> Suffice to say none of this music sounds anything alike.
> >>
> >> Defining what falls into a category of "Ambient" is a task doomed to
> >> fail. "Ambient" music implies a relationship with the unnoticable, the
> >> unintentional sound present in our environment.
> >>
> >> I think people have conveniently used the word to describe everything
> >> from "music that you can't dance to" to "music you can meditate with"
> to
> >> "music you play in a haunted house."
> >>
> >> An album I released recently is described as "Ambient" but holds about
> >> as much relationship with the artists mentioned above as it does with
> >> R&B and Country Western.
> >>
> >> Given that ALL genrification is by nature subjectively exclusive, the
> >> term "Ambient" is especially bad; I put it right up there with
> >> "Classical" and my personal favorite "IDM". What some call ambient,
> >> others do not.
> >>
> >> So I'd ask you back, what's the point of finding out?
> >>
> >> A lot of what's considered "Ambient" has its musical underpinnings in
> >> non-western music, especially the Ragas and trance-like drummings of
> >> other cultures (which I might add are certainly extremely functional in
> >> those cultures, if not ours).
> >>
> >> So while one may call something Ambient, another may call it Downtempo,
> >> another may consider playing Gesualdo during a gallery opening as
> >> Ambient, while someone not so predisposed to classifying music would
> >> just enjoy it as choral harmony and not something "ambient" at all.
> >>
> >> Sometimes people use the term simply to classify the undefinable.
> >>
> >> .,m
> >>
> >> (ps - Strickland's Minimalism is a good one if you haven't read it yet)
> >>
> >> Matt Tierney wrote:
> >> > Hi, first post on the list... :)
> >> >
> >> > I asked on the Rhizome forum where I could find some descent
> discussion
> >> > online of avant-garde/experimental and 'other' musics. I hope this
> post
> >> is
> >> > suited to the overall vein of the list. If not I would glady accept
> >> > recommendations!
> >> >
> >> > -
> >> >
> >> > I'm reading Prendergast's "The Ambient Century".
> >> >
> >> > It's a nice idea for a book, a 'century' of ambient music... But did
> >> ambient
> >> > music really start with Mahler or Satie?
> >> >
> >> > What about 15th Century Rennaisance choral music like Palestrina,
> >> > Tallis
> >> and
> >> > many other similar composers from this period?
> >> >
> >> > There's something about this era that strikes an 'ambient' chord with
> >> me. Or
> >> > is the music too *intense* to be classified as ambient?
> >> >
> >> > I don't want to confuse *beauty* and ambience, but if I'm wanting to
> >> listen
> >> > to some ambient music, I'll often go for Tallis...
> >> >
> >> > What are others thoughts on this?
> >> >
> >> > Regards,
> >> >
> >> > Matt Tierney
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 3:49 PM, Paulo R. C. Barros <
> >> > paulorcbarros@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCki_4DuyI
> >> >>
> >> >> Cheers,
> >> >> Paulo
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> >> For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> >> website: http://www.microsound.org
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> website: http://www.microsound.org
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > http://artmentaldisorder.blogspot.com
> >
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: microsound-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> For additional commands, e-mail: microsound-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> website: http://www.microsound.org
>
>


-- 
http://artmentaldisorder.blogspot.com