Re: Partch (off topic) Terezin (on-topic)

[Eliezer Kaplan <zelwel...>]

>I'd still be hard put to think of any who had zero
> musical career and were post mortem declared geniuses.

What sort of 'musical career' did Charles Ives have in his lifetime?
                                        ek


----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex J. Lubet" <lubet001 (at) umn(dot)edu>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: Partch (off topic) Terezin (on-topic)


> He wasn't axed.  He was a visiting professor.  I dare say that, with his
> unconventional skills and lack of traditional skills and degrees, they'd
have
> had a hard time keeping him on.
>
> The man was exceptionally iconoclastic, which indeed meant that he
struggled.
> Being gay apparently didn't help, either.  Even if he were a bona fide
> exception, which I've been contesting, it wouldn't alter the typical
trajectory
> of composer's careers.  I'd still be hard put to think of any who had zero
> musical career and were post mortem declared geniuses.  For one thing, the
> chance that remnants of the work of such a person being preserved are
slimmer
> than had that person published, recorded, performed publically.
>
> To bring this back to topic, I keep getting reminded of the artistic
productions
> from Terezin, the 'model' Nazi death camp whose victims were permitted
(forced?)
> to remain artistically active.  I attended programs of Terezin composers a
> couple of times and have been asked to work on a couple more.  I'd not
been
> aware of any of the composers before and I'm not altogether sure what
their
> reputations would be were it not for their ghastly fate.
>
>
>
> Seth Austen wrote:
>
> > on 3/13/03 10:58 AM, Alex Lubet at lubet001 (at) umn(dot)edu wrote:
> >
> > > I don't actually think you're disagreeing with me at all.  Everyone
who
> > > records for CRI has to cover costs, which isn't unusual for a
classical
> > > label, but it's still refereed, in that one still must be chosen.  I
> > > wouldn't be surprised if his self-production was financed by grants.
I'd
> > > also venture that a loyal following who loves his work enough to play
for
> > > free is an indication that he transcended obscurity in his lifetime,
like
> > > having a Guggenheim or a major professorship.
> >
> > The impression I got from his biography was of obscurity for much of his
> > life, despite the Guggenheim or occasional fellowships. At one point in
the
> > book, it talks of him finally getting a fellowship, besides a tiny
office in
> > a University basement, he had little or no support from the institution,
> > major financial undertaking from his own pocket to ship his instruments
to
> > the campus, getting axed after a year, etc. Perhaps it's just the normal
> > treatment for any composer! I wouldn't know, having never held a
university
> > teaching position.
> >
> > Seth
> >
> > --
> > Seth Austen
> >
> > http://www.sethausten.com
> > email: seth (at) sethausten(dot)com
> >
>
> --
> Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
> Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
> Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
> Head, Division Of Composition and Music Theory
> University of Minnesota
> 2106 4th St. S
> Minneapolis, MN 55455
> 612 624-7840 612 624-8001 (fax)
>
>
>
>


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