The Alt-Classical Debate
There is a fantastic conversation going on about the relevance about the new “alt-classical” genre. For anyone unacquainted with this term, it is a broad categorization of integrating “pop” sounds,( i.e. rock influenced chord progressions, or in extreme cases, drum machines creating beats) in the context of classical music. By classical music, it is meant that the music is created and performed by classically trained composers and performers.
Some compelling posts have been circulating the internet lately, among the most notable are Matt Marks, Brian Sacawa, and the 8th Blackbird blog. All three have made poignant observations, but what I will address here is the notion of alt-classical being a real movement in the classical scene.
A few years ago when group such as Alarm Will Sound, Red Light New Music, ICE, and 8th Blackbird were just getting started, their vision was (and still is) innovative and had the promise of bringing about real change in concert music. By taking music by renown composers and exceptionally talented emerging composers and playing in venues outside of a traditional concert hall setting, it was not surprising how well received these programs were. These groups (among others) sparked a shift in music presentation and created new outlets (and hope!) for emerging composers. Unfortunately, like most innovative ideas, this performance model has been exploited by an ever-increasing amount of groups. The unfortunate thing mentioned is that the quality of programs suffer from either low-caliber composers on the program or the performances themselves are lackluster and downright boring. It is in this dangerous realm where the label “alt-classical” resides. Not in that pop influences are cropping up in music by our generation raised on popular culture, but in the lazy approach to either composing or performing, or in some cases both!
Matt Marks makes the suggestion that alt-classical is without context:
Now a single song on a pop album or a single 5-10 minute pop-style alt-classical piece tends not to be the equal of a major classical work, in terms of complexity – or: stuff goin’ on. But as part of a larger work it can be similarly complex and cohesive, even if the other songs/pieces are not utilizing similar themes and/or contributing to a grand architecture in the classical sense. Where Gabriel and I agree is that many of these new alt-classical works fall short of being great works of art. But in my opinion it’s that they fall short of achieving the deepness and complexity of pop music, for two main reasons: the lack of audio production as a major component and the lack of context as a part of an album or larger work.
I agree on the basic comparison Matt makes here, but like a solid pop track, a single alt-classical work should be able to stand on its own without a larger context. For example, one of my favorite albums has been Boxer by The National. This album has everything that makes a pop album great: single songs that need no context, but are given one through the musical construction of the album as well as the production value.
My main problem with the alt-classical label and what it represents is low quality and amateur writing/playing that seems to have infiltrated what could be a real movement. I’m not talking about hobbyists either, these guys/gals are graduates of some of the top music schools, so why is the music so sloppy? Integrating pop components in classical music is logical in this day as classical music has made its way into pop music by groups such as Radiohead, Bjork, and others. In fact, I would argue that the classical influence on these artists is what makes them great, so conversely, shouldn’t having pop music masterfully interwoven into a new concert music piece work in a similar manner?
The answer is yes, these areas should be mutually influential on each other to make great art, but the problem lies in the lack of vision on the part of the creator. So, are there examples of well executed integration between these disparate elements? To quote Matt Marks again:
…recent large-scale works that blur the line between pop and classical and are incredibly complex and meticulously organized. Examples that come to mind are: David T. Little‘s Soldier Songs, Corey Dargel‘s pop-album/song-cycle hybrids, Ted Hearne‘s Katrina Ballads…
These guys do a masterful job blending genres and if alt-classical is going anywhere meaningful, I hope more composers that posses real skill will emerge, but for now, this new genre is inundated undiscerning ears and poorly organized works and programs.
Stop being polite. Give us examples of pieces and composers that you think aren’t up to snuff - and why. Those of us (like me) not familiar with this sub genre are interested in hearing the scope of what composers are doing and evaluating with our own ears, and comparing against your criticism.
I’ll go out on a limb and say that one unfavorable experience I had was in my first exposure to Glenn Branca’s music, via “Hallucination City - Symphony of 100 Electric Guitars”. The piece more of less lived up to its orchestration… but had little to offer besides a few varying textures - rapid or rhythmic strumming, carried on at excruciating volumes, for an hour plus.
I would suggest starting with familiarizing yourself with the pieces mentioned in the post as an introduction of “alt-classical” done well. I’m not talking about aesthetics anywhere in the post, but basic technique in orchestration and making a cohesive piece of music in general. Since I’m making a generalization about music being composed mostly in NYC by emerging composers, after listening to these pieces, go further with the music of these composers on the websites of groups such as Syzygy New Music, Red Light New Music, Newspeak, etc. and see which pieces stand or crumble.
I agree with Jonathan D that we all need to be less afraid to call out pieces we think are bullshit. I actually dig Branca’s music, but can see why folks wouldn’t. I left out a major dig at Thomas Ades in my post, whom Gabriel Kahane praised it, I guess out of fear that my post would seem too reactionary. IMO the third movement of Asyla makes me embarrassed to be a classical musician. It’s well-written, but it is to trance music what Lawrence Welk is to jazz.
It’s going to be hard to clarify what we think is good and what we think is shit if we’re not willing to put our asses on the line a bit.
Good post btw.
Hi Matt! Thanks for the kind words. Taking what you and Jonathan D. said into account, I have to agree that we should be more explicit when dealing with music and separate our feelings about the person creating the music from the music itself. That being said, the most recent example I can think of was at the Syzygy New Music Collective concert on April 23 at the Nabi Gallery. Now don’t get me wrong, there were some nice pieces on the program especially the du Bois sentimental The Speaking Tide, but there were some bad pieces there as well. One piece that lacked in adequate orchestration and a cohesive form was Sextet by Scott Ordway. Given, the piece was supposed to be symphonic in scope, but I found the dense sections to easily get out of control due to the orchestration.
From Colors to Lines by Ricardo Romaniero started out very strong by fusing cleverly orchestrated acoustic passages with real-time sequenced electronics, but then the electronics gave way to some dancey, club beat. That section wanted to be Aphex Twin so bad, but lacked Richard D. James’s ingenuity. That was disappointing because the piece had a lot of potential and had some great moments, but I felt it was trying too hard after a while.
Final observations about the program in general was most of the pieces were too conceptual, meaning it relied too heavily on program notes rather than musical material. Sonar was one of those pieces that didn’t fall in line with anything mentioned in the notes, but was a good piece on it’s own. Whereas program notes are helpful in some instances, the old “experimental” trend seems to still be alive in trying to relate music to a multitude of concepts, when the music could easily stand apart from the concepts mentioned.
In regards to what I mentioned earlier about separating feelings, I had a chance to meet all of the composers, and they are all pleasant, friendly individuals, but some of the music wasn’t my taste, so this is a criticism on music alone.
@adminFunny that you use From Colors to Lines as an example.. HERE is a related example of calling out performances we think are bullshit, though I was a bit more (perhaps unnecessarily) harsh in my review.
I’ve listened to some of this “alt classical” music on the internet, and really, its NOT CLASSICAL MUSIC - not the way a Haydn symphony or a Beethoven sonata/symphony/string quartet is classical music! What I heard is something that takes little or no musicianship or musical technique to create - no compositional craftsmanship at all, just improvisatory noises seemingly created at random, with “rock beats” put under it - as far as it having influence on classical music, it wont! People who like classical music want real classical music, not this! This will be a marginal “movement” just as “new classical music” in general has been, something appealing only to a small number of enthusiasts, but not the larger classical audience. Its understandable for composers to want to find a way out of overintellectual new music few people understand, but like minimalism, this isnt much of a way out!
The traditional classical repertoire is still being played, and as long as it is, “alt” substitutes arent going to cut it!