Paper Is Important, but There’s More To It Than That!

As the story goes, the commission for the Firebird didn’t originally go to Igor Stravinsky, who ended up composing a magnificent, world-renowned score. Anatol Liadov was supposed to do it first. However, the brilliant Russian mind was also a great procrastinator. When asked of his progress, he remarked, “I’ve bought the paper.”

That job didn’t last long.

A good, not particularly well-known composition of his is the Ballade. In a way, it’s probably good he didn’t end up doing the Firebird, because I couldn’t see anyone dancing well to the fast 5/4 rhythm central to the piece.

Classical Music As Repellent?

A recent article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle claims that classical music pumped into public areas is an effective deterrent of gatherings of loitering teens. According to the article, “Classical music is intellectual music, more challenging than other genres and teens just don’t like it.”

It’s nice that classical music is being used to prevent discord- music as a vehicle for peace is rarely a bad thing- but at the same time, this isn’t exactly audience-building that’s going on, either. Perhaps these teens whom the music so drives away could be exposed to the music in school, to more than just “boring” Haydn and Mozart and Beethoven, in order that such music does not produce such a visceral effect.

I’m a bit ambivalent about the whole thing.