[HANASHIR:3531] Re: "Master of All Things"

[Judy Git <hillel...>]

Craig,

If you give permission to people to "mess" with your stuff, then, by all means -
I agree that it's perfectly alright for people to do so.  Also, in general, I do
agree with what Adrian said about music taking on a "life of its own."  There
were two things which prompted me to write that comment.

1) I have seen songs (not yours so far) "messed" with to the point of destroying
their message and the integrity of their melody and tempo.  This has made me a
tad "gun shy" regarding especially music written by people whom I have come to
know and respect.

2) You will probably not remember this, but several years ago, at a mini-CAJE in
KC, we got into a short discussion about songwriters being a "conduit" through
which music was brought into this world.  Since this was precisely the term that
I had been using for this process for several years, your use of that term had a
definite impact on me.  - a "conduit" to the Divine.  Somehow "Master of All
Things" came up, and you added "Definitely a 'conduit' song."  For that reason, 
I
was just a bit protective of that song in particular.

SO - I have posted this response to the whole list because I think that this is
another issue that has some real importance to all of us who write, teach or
perfom music (I being in the first two, but not in the last, category).  How 
many
have had this experience  - as if you are serving as a conduit to the Divine - 
as
if the music was transmitted THROUGH you and not just BY you?

As for the other - "messing" with music - maybe the best guideline is to use 
your
neshama and your best judgement and ask if by "messing" with it, you are
adulterating any of what makes this particular song special - that which caused
it to be a "conduit" song.  If not, no big deal.  If yes, lay off.  Sound fair?

Judy

CTaub1234 (at) aol(dot)com wrote:

> Let me preface my remarks with an observation.
>
> 1. The general spirit and tone of this list is so wonderfully warm and
> supportive.  This is in contrast to two other Jewish lists I "lurk" on which
> are generally negative and simply not nice.  (I'd love to know if anyone has
> any thoughts on why this might be the case. Could it be that many of us have
> spent a week together at Hava Nashira and that this is not a purely anonymous
> group?)
>
> So here is my "remark."  As the composer of this melody and lyric I find
> nothing wrong with people "messing" with the material.  As a matter of fact
> there is nothing that gives me greater joy than knowing that my music has
> legs and a life of its own. I feel that the songs I write are really more
> discoveries than creations of mine.  It is similar to my relationship with my
> two children.  I feel that God has given me a gift in the form of a song or
> in the case of my children a life.  As such I don't own it but rather have
> the wonderful opportunity of sharing their energy and spirit with many many
> people, places and spaces.  Obviously, these are my own thoughts as a
> writer...others may want to check what "other writers" feel before changing
> their songs.
>
> In the meantime please feel free to "mess" with my stuff.
>
> Craig Taubman
>



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