Cook 1

"Musical Values"

-What makes music matter to us?
-"Humanly generated sounds that are good to listen to, and that are so for themselves and not merely for the message they convey." (4)
-Cultural context
-National ID
-Youth Culture
-Etc.
-What you listen to can determine who you are (in today's society)

-Music is a "multiplicity of activities & experiences" (5)
-To most people, being a musician does not equal being a listener

-Authenticity (pop/rock/etc world)
-"Covers" aren't authentic
-Bands are expected to develop their own style
-Pop music = bad/inauthentic
-Based on the performer & the work/piece

-Authenticity (Classical world)
-Based on a personal vision
-Same idea of authenticity as in the pop world (music industry)
-Books generally state: music = the composition and the work itself, not the performer

-Value system
-Innovation over tradition
-Creation over reproduction
-Personal expression over marketplace
-"Music must be authentic, for otherwise it is hardly music at all" (14)

-The inherited way of thinking from the past is inadequate today
-ie "music" = Western art music
-Can't do justice to the multiplicity of music & experiences

-Language constructs reality rather than reflecting it

-Idea of music being "works" reflects the industrial society focused on consumer goods
-Production --> distribution --> consumption
-Compose --> perform --> experience (listen/attend concerts)

-Our assumptions on music (17):
-done by highly qualified professionals
-innovation is essential to musical culture
-key players are composers who "generate core product"
-performers are middlemen, between composer & listener
-a select few performers are good enough and become "idolized" as composers for their interpretations
-listeners are passive consumers