Re: Weltraum, aka the electronic music from Freitag aus Licht

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jerry Kohl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> 'ok, well, try to ignore that and see what he's doing with the pitches'.
> 
> Now this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I presume Tangerine
> Dream is/was a band, and from the context, I gather they used synthesizers of
> some sort. But I have no conception ofwhat this sound is, so I suppose I am
> untainted--or rather, unembarrassed by hearing a timbre that, for others, has
> associations of ... what? cheesyness? What is it that has caused synthesizers
> to "date" so rapidly, whereas saxophones, violins, ondes Martenot, etc. have
> lasting power?


yes, exactly, cheesiness. well, something that has a brief, strong and
very particular moment of fashionable prevalence has a greater likelihood
of 'going out of fashion' than something which has such a broad set of
connotations and reference that they don't seem linked to a particular
moment or fashion. like a violin or oboe. and the ondes martenot clearly
HAS gone out of fashion, but it's so far out it's in, if you know what i
mean!

I'm sure Stockhausen used certain sounds because they suit him for a
variety of sophisticated reasons, so I know my feelings are irrelevent to
his way of thinking. unfortunately i don't live in a cultural vacuum and i
fall prey to these unintended connotations.


> Well, he *has* used electric guitar in at least two pieces: Gruppen and Carré,
> but this seems to have caused no ripple of controversy.
'

well, true, but the guitar hardly dominates those pieces. actually i'm
sure he could write a terrific electric guitar piece if he wanted to, but
my sense is that he avoids it precisely to be 'outside of fashion' which
was what i was driving at.



> 
> > and he should apply that
> > reasoning to synthesizers, especially common commercially produced ones.
> >
> > >Bohor makes a lot of noise, but don't try to pretend it has the
> > >depth or complexity of anything Stockhausen has produced in the medium
> >
> > but it's got a surly, brutal gravity to it that makes it good art.
> 
> Perhaps. I find it rather monotonous.

well, okay, i admit it -- so do i!