Comments for Peter Nocella, Composer http://www.peternocella.com Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:40:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Payola Theory: The “Gimmick” in Minimalist Music by Peter Nocella http://www.peternocella.com/2011/01/21/payola-theory-the-gimmick-in-minimalist-music/comment-page-1/#comment-102 Peter Nocella Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:40:07 +0000 http://www.peternocella.com/blog/?p=14#comment-102 In light of Justin's comment I might suggest that musical innovation and musical creativity are not necessarily synonymous, at least on the surface. For some composers creativity seems to consist more in re-ordering musical materials to reveal hidden facets rather than in "innovation" per se. Such seems to the case with the Minimalist composers, such as Adams, Glass et al., whose music reveals "new" attitudes about harmony, etc. rather than in the materials themselves. Also, as is the case with any musical style, the major practitioners often seem to transcend stylistic boundaries to create music that reaches the soul of the listener. However, though, I would still maintain that, throughout the latter 20th and early 21st centuries, many composers have ignored or downgraded the single most powerful and expressive element of music---MELODY! But, more about that later. In light of Justin’s comment I might suggest that musical innovation and musical creativity are not necessarily synonymous, at least on the surface. For some composers creativity seems to consist more in re-ordering musical materials to reveal hidden facets rather than in “innovation” per se. Such seems to the case with the Minimalist composers, such as Adams, Glass et al., whose music reveals “new” attitudes about harmony, etc. rather than in the materials themselves. Also, as is the case with any musical style, the major practitioners often seem to transcend stylistic boundaries to create music that reaches the soul of the listener. However, though, I would still maintain that, throughout the latter 20th and early 21st centuries, many composers have ignored or downgraded the single most powerful and expressive element of music—MELODY! But, more about that later.

]]> Comment on Payola Theory: The “Gimmick” in Minimalist Music by Justin Saragoza http://www.peternocella.com/2011/01/21/payola-theory-the-gimmick-in-minimalist-music/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Justin Saragoza Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:16:14 +0000 http://www.peternocella.com/blog/?p=14#comment-101 I was searching minimal music topics and came across your post. I had just finished writing a bit about the questionable historical significance of aspects of minimal music, how it's been researched, and how it was marketed originally leading to acceptance in the classical community. I hadn't considered the idea of payola and how it related to the minimalist movement in music, so I found this article interesting to say the least. If musical minimalism is not harmonically innovative at some level, where do the major (i.e. famous)practitioners stand in an historical context? I was searching minimal music topics and came across your post. I had just finished writing a bit about the questionable historical significance of aspects of minimal music, how it’s been researched, and how it was marketed originally leading to acceptance in the classical community.

I hadn’t considered the idea of payola and how it related to the minimalist movement in music, so I found this article interesting to say the least. If musical minimalism is not harmonically innovative at some level, where do the major (i.e. famous)practitioners stand in an historical context?

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