First, some background for you, the reader, in case you stumbled in to this blog after a bottle Jack-Quil and have no idea where you are and what is going on.
I am Brian A. Van Winkle. I'm a composer, and many of the topics discussed here will be related to a variety of musical thoughts, opinions, and the whatnot (I do intend however to write about other topics that I find super awesome, however). Although, I am one of them trained-at-a-college type composers (currently interested in getting more delicious college in me), not one of the "I took piano lessons and found out all the black keys sound really cool together when you put the string sustain on" type. I like to write for any medium, but especially ones that I can get performances writing for. Although, I'm not super keen on writing electronic music, but that sounds like a subject for a future post.
Well, why write a blog, you, the blogo-ether, may ask me. First of all, you ask a lot of questions for someone who stumbled here reaking of bourbon and imitation cherry. Second, I have many unsupported opinions and rantings that I go on from time to time, and feel that they should be chronicled for the future ridicule (as I forget what I've said easily), and my book "How to destroy your career with an unprofessional blog". Finally, I fully intend to start a blog war / dialogue about the collaborative process with Chris "MoFo-rimba" Wilson (wilsonmarimba.blogspot.com). You can rest assured that whenever possible, I will attempt to disagree with everything he says.
In an attempt to get my first tl;dr I will now go in to some of my general views on music. I <3 classical tradition music. Not so much classical era music, although that can be nice from time to time. Also, as a side note, I am very fond of the wind ensemble as a medium. Although any medium is fair game to me, I felt I'd mention that because some musicians I've run in to seem to consider the wind ensemble the artistic bush-league, and many of those musicians are also undereducated fucktards (side note: may be swearing from time to time, it is my own blog after all. Feel free to do the same, it is great). If you think I'm wrong, go listen to Schwantner's "...and the mountains rising nowhere...", a Maslanka symphony, and Corigliano's third symphony and come back, I'll wait. If you prefer older, the Mozart Gran Partita and Dvorak Serenade.
I also have an aversion to all the unimportant ceremony and emphasis on tradition that goes along with music nowadays. Especially an evening at a professional orchestral or opera performance. The most ridiculous question I'm often asked by my non-musician friends who are planning on going to Symphony concert is "What is appropriate to wear?" To which I generally will reply "If you're performing, a tux. If not, whatever is comfortable." To me, this exchange demonstrates the attitude that the enterprise of classical tradition music has become too elitist. Music is an aural experience and if someone's day is gonna be ruined by another symphony patron wearing a t-shirt, then they are there for the wrong reasons.
All in all, I feel that music is considered by the people who are involved in the tradition of music that I thrive on, take everything way too seriously. The enterprise of music is important to me, the seriousness that surrounds it seems to be strangling the life out of it to these eyes. I will continue to refine my ideas about this position as I continue to blog, but feel free to send any attacks my way to help focus my rage in to more concise posts.
So yeah... there is my rambling introduction. Future music related topics may include: ranting on new music, music reviews, seduction for conductors, the absurdity of seriousness, what I'm writing and how I'm doing it (hint: in the nude), some theory stuffs, and why working music retail is often worse than being forced in to doing a donkey show in front of your parents, only to realize later you weren't being forced in to doing it. Non-music related topics will be whatever the hell I feel like, and my hatred of proofreading posts for clarity.
Anyways, I'll try and stumble in to mental clarity and post at least once a week. Also, Chris Wilson is a cracker-ass motherfucker. BOOSH!
No comments:
Post a Comment