[HANASHIR:16541] Re: "Quality" and the teachings of Danny Maseng

[DMASENG <DMASENG...>]

Hello all,

I just wanted to respond to the comments made by Ros regarding quality and 
context.

Ros wrote:
"As I said in my earlier letter, the degree of 'quality' required depends on 
the context and the purpose.  Danny Maseng (as described in Shirona's letter) 
was preparing a show to which he was asking many large audiences to pay money 
to see.  This had better be top quality, to fulfill his side of the 
contract"...  

Leaving aside arguments about teaching, writing and singing for the love of 
it, there is no context in which quality is not a necessity. Whether I write, 
sing or teach for large or small groups, for great sums of money or none at all 
-- the quality must be at the very core of what I do. It's an obligation of 
the soul, of the mind, of the very stuff an 'artist' is made of.

I once witnessed a Sunday evening town gathering outside Chattanooga 
Tennessee. Amateur musicians came from around the region, played and sang for 
hours 
before a crowd of local folk of all ages, seated on the wooden floor. The music 
was magical and the crowd's appreciation was in direct proportion to the 
quality of music they were experiencing. This was an affirmation of community 
and 
culture on the highest level. No one was paid to perform, no one paid to get 
in. Money is NEVER the issue. It's about pride in one's culture. It's about 
gratitude for the gift of music. It's about a sense of obligation towards the 
listener, the instrument, the gift itself.

When we settle for less we are teaching our children, our peers and the rest 
of the world that quality doesn't really matter to us. That our own culture 
doesn't deserve all we've got to give so long as it 'feels good.' That message 
has, indeed, been out there for a long time and it has hurt us deeply. Most 
American Jews won't listen to, let a lone buy, Jewish music for that very 
reason. 
There is a perception of Jewish music as schlock, even though there is some 
good stuff out there and it keeps getting incrementally better. 

The story about the grandchild is sweet and touching and has nothing to do 
with this issue. The issue is that beyond the sweet connection to Hebrew and 
all 
things Jewish, there must be an aesthetic beauty, a truth, a quality that is 
undeniable. To settle for anything less is to doom our culture to triviality 
and irrelevance.

One last thing: Musicians who get paid are also doing it primarily for the 
love of it. If they're not -- they should get out of the business. One pays a 
very high price for toiling in this field and there are far better ways to make 
money.  Whether we sing in Synagogue or at home, whether we are performing for 
free or for pay -- the level of our effort should always reach for the 
heavens. Our aspirations and expectations should aim as high as our imagination 
can 
conceive.

Shavua Tov,

Danny Maseng,
Artistic Director,
The Brandeis-Bardin Institute
www.dannymaseng.com