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The Twenty-First Century
by
Don Robertson
©
2005 Rising World Entertainment
Part
One: Introduction
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"I
believe that all people are in possession of what might be
called a universal musical mind. Any true music speaks
with this universal mind to the universal mind in all
people. The understanding that results will vary only in
so far as people have or have not been conditioned to the
various styles of music in which the universal mind
speaks. Consequently, often some effort and exposure is
necessary in order to understand some of the music coming
from a different period or a different culture than that
to which the listener has been conditioned."
Bill
Evans (1929-1980),
Jazz Pianist
We
have entered not only a new century, but a new millennium. As I
point out earlier in this book (called "Through
the Centuries"),
in the Western classical music tradition, each century has its
own musical style and purpose. I believe that these will be some of the characteristics
of the new classical music for the 21st
century:1)
It will encompass all
meaningful traditions and genres. Today's composers
more fully understand the music traditions of other periods and
cultures and listeners are increasingly accepting them, as
witnessed by the success of such previously obscure music as Gregorian
chant, Qawwali,
and Celtic testifies. The 20th century was
the century of electrical and mechanical revolution. Automobiles hit the
newly paved roads, power and telephone lines spread across the
land, radio, telephone and television came into being, and
people began experiencing the kind of stress that comes with
such radical changes. The 21st century has now dawned with the miracle of
the worldwide internet piped into most homes and a growing
number of cell phones, and fuel
for last century's automobiles becoming a luxury item. We are clearly on new turf. What will take place
in this century will not be another
mechanical revelation. As the internet continues to grow, everything will be at
our fingertips, wherever we are. We will have a wealth of
information and culture available to us that would have been
unimaginable a hundred years ago. And this is where the younger generations of
composers will learn their craft. No longer will they need to rely on
CD/DVD stores and megasized-corporation-sponsored AM and FM radio for their musical input. The finest and
greatest music and art that our world has produced will be
available everywhere for those who are ready for it.
2)
It will return to the essentials: the overtone series and
natural harmony.
3) The new music will spell the end
to the avant-guard... which was "so twentieth century."
After all, this movement has been hanging around since 1917, when Marcel Duchamp put
the toilet in
the art
show. Artists no longer need to shock or feel so insecure that
they must demonstrate how original they are. It's going
to be all about healing, feeling, and real genius.
4) Feelings
will be fully expressed. Just because you express
love will not define you as a retro-19th-century romantic
reactionary, nor will it brand you
as a panderer or (Gawd forbid) a pop musician!
5) There will be a surge of great
composers and great music: You know.... like what
happened during the later
half of the 19th
century.
6) There will be a realization of
the purest role for art and music: its ability to
heal and provide a spiritual catalyst.
7) There will be a resurgence in acoustic
music: I know, technology is great, but such music as
Celtic and bluegrass and other acoustic genres will have a
big place in public performance, and the fulfillment of the
orchestra and choir will take place in society, bringing us performances
of the great works that will require
new acoustically
designed buildings. Oh, and by the way, when I
talk about acoustic, orchestral, and choral music, I am saying
that microphones and speakers will not be used for stage performances.
Electronic music (as opposed to acoustic music) is (by
definition) ANY music that is comes out of a speaker!
8)
Acceptance
of musical performance as art, not just mere entertainment.
This is the revolution that Wagner
began. next *En
musique, l’agent principal de l’oeuvre est ce que nous
appelons thème
ou idée. On peut en donner la définition suivante: l’idée
musicale est constituée au moyen d’éléments sonores,
fournis par l’imagination,
choisis par le coeur,
mis en ordre par l’intelligence.
Vincent
d'Indy
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