The New Romanticism
“All art should become science and all science art;
poetry and philosophy should be made one.”
- Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829)
poetry and philosophy should be made one.”
- Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829)
The New Romanticism? Primitive? The devil?
The student cautiously looks at the teacher, backing away in fear…
Now, now. Relax. This is about music. What some would call “classical music.” Yes, yes, yes… already such a specialized field unto itself, so, for fun, why not get even more specialized?
Let’s take the earliest recordings from the turn of the twentieth century, affectionately referred to as “primitive.” They (and some just a bit after that) are a treasure trove of inspired performance practice. Get it?! The primitive scholar thing?
The student, not as afraid as before, rolls eyes, nearly pulling both extraocular muscles in the left socket…
These recordings, many of which cannot be found anywhere except in private collections, are a portal into the musical expression that went hand in hand with the philosophy, science and spirituality of Goethe and his Age of Scientific Romanticism, a reproach of the hyperrational and overly mechanistic so-called Enlightenment view of the universe.
The student, now convinced the teacher is utterly mad, nonchalantly looks around for the nearest escape…
Now, before this gets altogether too wordy, this individualistic expression might be wise not to overlook. See, the first quarter of the 21st century is drawing to a close and, some might say, we are closer than ever to the mechanistic outlook. Though at first glance it might seem otherwise, musically at least, we are quite far from the Romantic view, without which even Darwin’s conception of nature and evolution would certainly have been inconceivable.
There! See? Not so complicated.
In the student’s attempt to stifle a violent yawn, a near-fatal case of tongue-swallowing almost ensues…
You, of course, might be shocked by this, but some would posit: why is this of any interest, whatsoever? Well… These recordings form a practice of listening that brings into sharp focus the nature of expression and individualism; topics laden with assumptions highly relevant to our time. They might even provide insight into what is meant by, “the basic categories of investigation changed from mechanism to organicism,” a transformation written of very well by Robert J. Richards, from the University of Chicago.
Yeah, whatever.
In the realm of “classical” music, the majority of the 20th century saw generation after generation steeped in slavish imitation due to the “styles” and norms imposed by the recording industry, resulting in an increasingly diminished expressive and interpretative gene pool. Prior to the mass recording market, true individuality and pure musicality reigned supreme. Seeking out a new sensibility from the earliest known recorded documents with a modern temperament - not only in the sense of intonation but also intellectual curiosity - we have new uncharted territory and unlimited creative application.
Hmmm, hmmm. You and who else…
Well, I’m so glad you asked. As my mentor, and dear friend of nearly three decades, historical performance practice pioneer Will Crutchfield wrote in his groundbreaking NY Times article from 1990:
”Why does one listen to old recordings, especially to very old ones with their surface noise and low-end reproduction of sound? One potent reason is the simple lure of history. Records now reach back far beyond the memories of even the most senior concert goers, and to the extent that musical interpretation is an important sphere of endeavor, its history is worth understanding.”
How cool is that?! We can overturn a century of top-down musical management style with its mass market mentality, and embrace the independent spirit that marked historical performance practice, nurturing a new generation of true musical individuality.
Wait, so, like, I have to be, like, different?
Go Primitive, I say! Use these early recorded documents and all their wild, unfettered and delightfully un-academic passion as a lens into a world where people related to people, in 'live' time, and printed or written documents were mere shorthand conveniences. A rich, deep and, of course, complicated world. A world without recorded sound, before standardized sensibility.
Huh?
Imagine that. Imagine how they must have listened.
Listen to these old recordings for what is fundamentally and absolutely different about them. As you listen, challenge every assumption you have about what music is.
…well, alright. I guess.
Use these old recordings to analyze the possibilities in the parameters of this otherworldly musicality and shock yourself into a new sensibility.
Above all, trust your own instinct.
Go primitive…
- JD Hixson
(The Primitive Scholar’s Lair - an online listening room furnished with an archive of rare recordings with commentary, provocative and occasionally naughty anecdotes, fashion advice from the turn of the 20th century and recommended recipes from the period to appear here soon - BYOB).
The student cautiously looks at the teacher, backing away in fear…
Now, now. Relax. This is about music. What some would call “classical music.” Yes, yes, yes… already such a specialized field unto itself, so, for fun, why not get even more specialized?
Let’s take the earliest recordings from the turn of the twentieth century, affectionately referred to as “primitive.” They (and some just a bit after that) are a treasure trove of inspired performance practice. Get it?! The primitive scholar thing?
The student, not as afraid as before, rolls eyes, nearly pulling both extraocular muscles in the left socket…
These recordings, many of which cannot be found anywhere except in private collections, are a portal into the musical expression that went hand in hand with the philosophy, science and spirituality of Goethe and his Age of Scientific Romanticism, a reproach of the hyperrational and overly mechanistic so-called Enlightenment view of the universe.
The student, now convinced the teacher is utterly mad, nonchalantly looks around for the nearest escape…
Now, before this gets altogether too wordy, this individualistic expression might be wise not to overlook. See, the first quarter of the 21st century is drawing to a close and, some might say, we are closer than ever to the mechanistic outlook. Though at first glance it might seem otherwise, musically at least, we are quite far from the Romantic view, without which even Darwin’s conception of nature and evolution would certainly have been inconceivable.
There! See? Not so complicated.
In the student’s attempt to stifle a violent yawn, a near-fatal case of tongue-swallowing almost ensues…
You, of course, might be shocked by this, but some would posit: why is this of any interest, whatsoever? Well… These recordings form a practice of listening that brings into sharp focus the nature of expression and individualism; topics laden with assumptions highly relevant to our time. They might even provide insight into what is meant by, “the basic categories of investigation changed from mechanism to organicism,” a transformation written of very well by Robert J. Richards, from the University of Chicago.
Yeah, whatever.
In the realm of “classical” music, the majority of the 20th century saw generation after generation steeped in slavish imitation due to the “styles” and norms imposed by the recording industry, resulting in an increasingly diminished expressive and interpretative gene pool. Prior to the mass recording market, true individuality and pure musicality reigned supreme. Seeking out a new sensibility from the earliest known recorded documents with a modern temperament - not only in the sense of intonation but also intellectual curiosity - we have new uncharted territory and unlimited creative application.
Hmmm, hmmm. You and who else…
Well, I’m so glad you asked. As my mentor, and dear friend of nearly three decades, historical performance practice pioneer Will Crutchfield wrote in his groundbreaking NY Times article from 1990:
”Why does one listen to old recordings, especially to very old ones with their surface noise and low-end reproduction of sound? One potent reason is the simple lure of history. Records now reach back far beyond the memories of even the most senior concert goers, and to the extent that musical interpretation is an important sphere of endeavor, its history is worth understanding.”
How cool is that?! We can overturn a century of top-down musical management style with its mass market mentality, and embrace the independent spirit that marked historical performance practice, nurturing a new generation of true musical individuality.
Wait, so, like, I have to be, like, different?
Go Primitive, I say! Use these early recorded documents and all their wild, unfettered and delightfully un-academic passion as a lens into a world where people related to people, in 'live' time, and printed or written documents were mere shorthand conveniences. A rich, deep and, of course, complicated world. A world without recorded sound, before standardized sensibility.
Huh?
Imagine that. Imagine how they must have listened.
Listen to these old recordings for what is fundamentally and absolutely different about them. As you listen, challenge every assumption you have about what music is.
…well, alright. I guess.
Use these old recordings to analyze the possibilities in the parameters of this otherworldly musicality and shock yourself into a new sensibility.
Above all, trust your own instinct.
Go primitive…
- JD Hixson
(The Primitive Scholar’s Lair - an online listening room furnished with an archive of rare recordings with commentary, provocative and occasionally naughty anecdotes, fashion advice from the turn of the 20th century and recommended recipes from the period to appear here soon - BYOB).
