Restless.

[unbound_spirit]

I am still so restless.  I can't sleep because I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin.  Something needs to happen, soon.  

I am so disillusioned with music.    Some thoughts...

 

As a senior at Princeton, I went to a lecture sponsored by the department of anthropology where a professor from the Universtiy of Cambridge Genetics Knowledge Park posed the question, “At the end of the day, how do we account for the knowledge we have acquired?” I have been considering this as of late for a variety of reasons. As a specialist in contemporary music, I have noticed a trend among modern composers to find inspiration in a variety of academic fields, most notebly physics, mathematics, and politics. At a recent concert I attended at New York's Merkin Hall, two composers spoke about the creation of their music before their world premiers. One composer said he based his composition on Richard Feynman's theories of particle interactions. Another composer said he wrote his music after watching BBC news broadcasts about the assassination of the former Prime Minster of Pakistan. From the perspective of an educated musician, I can say that both pieces were excellent, well-crafted, and accuratly represented the ideas they wished to capture. However, the former work did nothing to enhance modern physics, and the later contributed nothing to resolving conflict in Pakistan. At the end of the day, how do we account for the knowledge we have acquired?

 

At the end of the day, how do I personally account for the knowledge I have acquired?  I don't know, but I need to find a way that does more for the world than just comment on feelings about situations.  I need to change things.  But how?

Russian lessons are still going well.  I seriously learned the equivalent of about half a semester's worth of material in two hours yesterday, so I have a lot of studying to do before my next lesson. 

I got a lot of mail today, including a score of Haydn's Creation (one of the pieces I'm singing in as a soloist this June...in Arkansas), and an application from NYU CGA.  Even though, you know, I already picked up an application when I went to the info session, but, okay cool, now I have two. 

Comments

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

As I've said previously:

computer program
I hate talking about my work
I hate it when composers talk about their works
the world has little to no need for contemporary concert music - i.e. it will go on without it (or in spite of it even)

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

computer programming would require me to sit in one place for too long. I'm restless. I can't even be in one state or country for that long, let alone a room. But maybe it wouldn't hurt to learn a little of the basics. I should be more tech savvy than I am, anyway. Then maybe I wouldn't have to bother you every time my machines don't work.

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

You mean like what every person who has ever had a job has had to do?

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

An office job.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

and yes I agree, the world has little to no need for contemporary concert music. And that sucks for me because that's all I really care about anymore. Ugh.