Why Schoenberg is to be Respected more than P!nk!
I have not chosen to discuss these particular figures because one has done especially much for music and the other has done especially little; rather, I have chosen them because of their respective places in their own discourses; both of them are widely considered accomplished musicians. If this is doubted, or read as a sort of gender related issue, I invite the reader to conduct the same sort of analysis on female composer Ellen Taafe Zwilich and male hip-hop giant 'Lil Wayne.
*This blog entry is not really about why Schoenberg is to be respected more than Pink; the two figures are merely two icons representing the divided worlds of "high art" and "low brow music."
** Like others, I believe popular terminology to be a bit of a misnomer. "Solo artist," for an example, usually implies an artist's independent work in which the artist governs his own work and makes executive decisions. We all know this isn't really true –and I am aware of this generalization.--When I am forced to use phrases like this, I will use quotes.
If you would rather not read about Schoenberg or Pink, I forgive you. You can skip the next three paragraphs.
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was an accomplished composer, theorist, painter, essayist, and poet celebrated for his innovative compositional techniques and successful disciples of those techniques. There are, of course, volumes upon volumes written about Schoenberg's effect on music, the way he thought about music, and various biographical accounts, so any background I provide here is by no means exhaustive.
Schoenberg's early works were largely Romantic. With those works, he pushed the boundaries of "traditional" harmonic means and Romantic ideals with monumental works like Gurre-Lieder. Soon, the composer felt this style of music could go no further and eventually began composing in an atonal harmonic language. That is, music with no harmonic center. To a degree, this style relieved Schoenberg of creative limitation, but lacked formal structure. After a short period of experimentation, Schoenberg developed the twelve tone technique in which all twelve notes of the Western music system are presented in a certain order before the composition is written and during the course of the piece is mutated and developed. For years, this method of composition and other theories created by Schoenberg eclipsed his mastery of composition. Since his death, however, Schoenberg's compositions have proven to be popular, successful works themselves.
Alecia Beth Moore, known as P!nk! (Pink) in "the biz," began her career as a rhythm & blues and hip hop performer in the all-girl group Choice. After a short stint with the group, Pink separated with Choice in an effort to develop a career as a "solo" artist. The product of her solo material was released as Can't Take Me Home (2001), an album in which "Get the Party Started" was featured. For many, the track was Pink's first exposure as no nonsense, fun loving singer. This image was soon shed as a result of M!ssundastood (2002), a release in which Pink attempted to rid the cookie cutter image she gained from her previous effort. Her next album Try This (2005) was a success in Europe in Australia but failed to enter the top forty stream in the U.S. After a short break, Pink returned to U.S. fame in 2007 with I'm not Dead Yet. The album was Pink's lowest seller until the release of "U +Ur Hand." Pink has promoted the album by opening for Justin Timberlake's on the American leg of his FutureSex/LoveShow tour in 2007.
0 comments:
Post a Comment