WESTERN MUSIC
A POINT OF VIEW

 

 

It is of interest to know that since the XIVth century at least, european music is clearly divided between "elitist" and "popular" music. It may be a major difference between western music and music from most other cultures. And that remains very true nowadays.

 

Here is some kind of a quick retrospective.

 

A FEW FACTS   For several centuries, vocal liturgy (like Gregorian) was the only authorized music. Music HAD to be vocal (sung by men only) and music HAD to celebrate God.   Ars Nova, though vocal, was condemned by the clergy : too complex, accused of distracting the mind from God with its complexity.   Baroque music was exhuberant and disrepectful. It was both "official" and "popular" music. It was usual for women to faint during concerts, especially during certain vocal performances. Orgasms during concerts were not unusual.   Hector Berlioz, french romantic composer, was a megalomaniac hero. He organized concerts with more than 1000 musicians, and it happened that he received "heroic swords" at the end of a concert. A bit like nowadays US awards.   Western music sounds natural to westerners. These days, it sounds natural to everyone, thanks to la mondialisation. But it has not always been the case ; Pierre Schaeffer states that for a traditional asian guy from the XVIIIth century, any western piece sounded like a military march, be it Mozart or a real military march. In fact, subtelty is not what westerners will be remembered for. This shows very well when listening to traditional indian pieces. Without training, it's sometimes very hard to see any changes in a 20 minute piece, or even a change between the pieces. In fact all that we westerners know is crude colors and contrasts, however well done and elegantly made.   Back to main index