Some, But Not All

From time to time the arts must endure a collectivist mentality.

But this is nothing more than a consequence of expanding horizons, a situation that lends itself to the consolidation of power among social, academic, and political groups bound by common interests and attitudes, but lacking, in their numbers, the virtues of individuality.

Predictably, such a way of thinking engenders a dull, insular advocacy of mediocrity with an utterly entrenched resistance to the distinctive and imaginative.

Some artists, musicians, theorists, and composers, enjoined to conformity, will succumb to cultural orientations of this nature.  For the rest, to do so is out of the realm of possibilities; it is the work that is of paramount importance.

Point Counterpoint

As this or that, I think thus and such.

Thoughts come and go, perspectives alter, notes serve their purposes as tools and reflections.

But meaning is found in the work.

Artificially Yours

Between the representation and the real lie perceptions and ideas.

Expression challenges and reflects the depth, or lack thereof, of individual experience.

Simply put, one should offer no barriers to the enjoyment of apprehension and understanding.

Sounds, Illuminated

As a medium of artistic expression, sound may be shaped in forms other than those generally recognized in terms of music, which depend, for the most part, upon elements such as rhythm, melody, and tempo.

Musicianship is expressed creatively through such things as disciplined virtuosity, instrumental eloquence, and conveyance of emotional feelings.  It is an entirely different artistic expression to manipulate media of any kind to peculiar effect.

The sound composer may choose to operate accordingly, engaging instead, as I do, concepts and gestures, regarding ideas, events, and settings in terms of transmuting perceptions into works of aural imagery.  It is a matter, simply enough, of asking and contemplating what sounds may be suggested by diverse experiences and bringing them into being.

Consciousness and self-knowledge governed by rational thought and intuitive perceptivity clearly, demonstrably, elevate the human condition far beyond that of mindless impulse and base instinct.

This is true in every aspect of life, and remains true in the arts.

Connectivity

Clarity elevates and obscurity provokes curiosity.

Each enables the contemplation of mystery, and inspiration to imagination and action.

Lucidity, Comprehension

What is commonly called "order" contributes to predictability and routine, but order has diverse forms, not all of them strictly concerned with organization.

Certain forms of order reflect juxtapositions of the simple and the complex.  Some involve greater, more expansive schemes of perception and understanding, such as the rise and fall of things, for instance, or awareness of processes in the way of, say, emergence, convergence, and dispersal. Others are discernible as guides to movement, or to the direction of attention to specific objects or ideas.

In such ways do the arts, and particularly those involving music and sound, realize concepts of order, in clear contrast to disorder and pointless chaos.

Attention to Sound and Mind

Just as there is a difference between looking and seeing, so it is with hearing and listening.

These are matters of interest and engagement, both passive and active, direct and indirect. 

In the normal context of continual activity and distraction there is little time for deep thought, clear articulation, and lucidity of perception.  But one must make time; these are essential to being and becoming, and thus to dynamic consciousness and living.  

My compositions are designed to enhance an hour and more for contemplative listening, reflecting this fundamental attitude.