I haven’t written about anything musical in quite some time, unless you consider my Culture of Cool blog musical as I mentioned Van Halen. I don’t have a dissent worth writing about as most of the US Governance is a pile of shit not worth granting attention to. I feel like meandering around my musical library. Focusing on some things that have changed in my listening habits over the decades, and reflecting on some changes. I need to play with some words…

Back in my sophomore year of college I had the opportunity to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) play at Braden Auditorium on the campus of Illinois State University. I was lucky enough to play in this venue several times during my undergraduate career even though I was a student at Illinois Wesleyan University a mere eight blocks South.

The CSO played the Johannes Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. There was an overture thrown in the mix. I do not remember what that was. I do recall with great significance of how I despised the Brahms back then. I wasn’t impressed by the skill of the soloists or the development of motivic themes. It all ran an incredible 35 or so minutes of dull. Beethoven’s 8th Symphony was far better and of the nine symphonies I consider the 8th to be somewhat uninspiring. Beethoven’s music usually inspires me, and entrances me from the opening motive. I have had the privilege of conducting his First Symphony in graduate school, and the first movement of the Fifth Symphony (band transcription,) from the USMC President’s Own archives with the Dixon Municipal Band.

Around ten years ago I was listening to a recording of Brahms Second Symphony. I’ve heard it live a couple of times, but this time a recording by the Vienna Philharmonic with Kurt Masur conducting (if memory serves,) overtook my consciousness. It felt like I hadn’t listened, really listened, to the symphony before. Since that point and time, everything I have by Brahms grabs me differently. The craftsmanship of the motivic development, the care of the melody and harmony, and the efficiency of the orchestration grabs my attention the way Gustav Mahler did thirty five years ago. I guess age and experience finally enabled me to embrace and appreciate Brahms’ writing in a new way. I’ve since gone on to expand the Brahms section of my music library. I’ve added numerous choral works. I very much appreciate his German Requiem. The choral writing is expressive and divinely inspired. I have purchased two separate recordings of the Double Concerto. My favorite of the two features Yo Yo Ma (cello) and Itzhak Perlman (violin) as the soloists. I find it amusing that the kid I was hated this piece. Now I find it enchanting and riveting. I think my friend and music colleague Dr. E. would find this revelation pleasing. I have finally found a love for Brahms… Better late than ever…

I feel music has a way of finding its way to you when you are ready for it. I also feel music has a way of influencing future listening skills. For example, to borrow from Van Halen… I enjoyed David Lee Roth’s showmanship of the early albums. Sammy Hagar’s performances on the later albums were better, more polished, far more musical, and technically proficient for their time. Hagar’s musicianship opened more doors into hard rock and heavy metal for me. Van Halen’s 3rd singer, Gary Cherone, and the guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme entered my experience in the 90’s thanks to Van Halen…

This was followed by Metallica, Guns and Roses, Soundgarden, Disturbed, Godsmack, Evanescence, Dream Theater, and countless others… Before Hagar, I was more inclined to listen to Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Styx, Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears… …amongst others from the 1970’s and early 80’s. Progressive pop or rock is what you could call that. Even though my Chicago listening was geared towards the pop singles rather than the deep cuts with complex counterpoint.

Another very specific example of a piece of music finding its way to you is the song The Dreaming Tree by the Dave Matthews Band. This song was my least favorite song on their magnum opus Before These Crowded Streets.(BTCS) I sampled this songs lyrics for a blog pseudo poetry post a long time ago. A little more than ten years ago, after a depression diagnosis and meds The Dreaming Tree started to play on my laptop (as it is always on random.) The lyrics finally clicked. The darkness of depression prevented me from finding the faintest glimmer of hope within the metaphor. The 7/4 time signature also became much clearer for me, where before I kept hearing it as a 4/4 and 3/4 rotating signature (over analysis.) Now this song is my favorite cut on the BTCS. Thank you Stefan Lessard.

I also have music fall away from regular listening. All through high school, college, and through my 20’s the band Styx was forever at the front of my listening. I was lucky enough to catch the band in 96 when the original lineup reunited for a tour, but with Todd Sucherman behind the kit as John Panozzo had passed away from health related issues from alcoholism. That 96 concert had the rock group Kansas as openers. It was an epic experience. When the band splintered following Dennis DeYoung’s health issues and Tommy Shaw/James Young’s desire to continue on without him. This conflict resulted in DeYoung suing the band he fronted for nearly forty years. I became a little reluctant to embrace the new Styx line up. The music also became less powerful, and of course DeYoung’s synth work became dated. I still love cuts like Fooling Yourself, Renegade, The Grand Illusion album, and Suite Madame Blue, but the rest of the catalog gets less play and interest overall. The music is still good, but my change in heart or perspective places the music on my B roll. I would, in a heartbeat, attend a reunion show if they reconciled with DeYoung, but I think that is fantasy.

I have seen this happen with a few other artists too and composers too. I briefly enjoyed the music of Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Cheap Trick, Reo Speedwagon, J Geils Band, etc. I feel I found something better when we got to the grunge era with Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and I have the softest spot for the Beastie Boys (Post fight for the right.) Composers that I have flatlined on are Paul Hindemith, Aaron Copland, Vincent Persichetti, and William Schuman. It almost feels unAmerican to do that to three great American composers, but John Adams, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Steven Bryant, Eric Whitacre, and other living composers have advanced American music into new territory. I would rather listen to Harmonium by Adams than Appalachian Spring by Copland as an example. Is some of this listening fatigue? or just a trend? Maybe a little of both.

The final composer that has seized my consciousness is Samuel Barber. He hasn’t let go since 1999. Barber’s work for orchestra is romantic, edgy, and well crafted. Even though he is conservative compared to his contemporaries, I feel there is much to learn about writing great motivic tonal classical music. Barber I feel is an extension of Brahms to some extent. I can hear it when I listened to their Second Symphonies back to back. There are definitely some similarities…

There you have it a little Monday music. Something different to tickle the keyboard for creative purposes. I have found that if I write more, I feel fresher… I’m going to try… whether it is a dissent on something or just other ramblings from my davenport in Davenport. Have you had any relationships with music that have changed like mine? Let me know in the comments? Thanks for visiting…

…so it goes…