Hi, James!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

JB>  "Great" orchestral works in the day, were intended to be
JB>  as disposable as last weeks news.

AH>  Yes... and the same also applies to various other types
AH>  of music.  I heard that a patron of J.S. Bach, for
AH>  example, insisted on a new chorale every week.  It seems
AH>  the desire for novelty has been a factor for a long time.

JB>  I lumped everything with an orchestra into "orchestral".
JB>  I guess opera needs stage direction also, but to my limited
JB>  exposure it's the same boat.


           I'd say the basic principle applies either way.  Opera trickled
down to the masses as operetta (e.g. Gilbert & Sullivan) and later as the
"Broadway" musical (e.g. Rogers & Hammerstein).  Now, when did you last hear
either?  :-))



JB>  Now that you mention it, works of a choir


           A cautionary note... I take it chorales were not intended to be
sung only by a choir.  Martin Luther evidently had the idea that the
congregation of the church should be allowed to sing along.  Good pedagogical
strategy....  :-)



JB>  would also apply to the "pop" category of yore. B-]


           Uh... yes & no.  Until relatively recently, the vast majority of
the common people were illiterate.  The "popular" music of earlier times is
largely unknown to us now because the gramophone had yet to be invented & the
few folks who understood how to write it down were seldom motivated to do so. 
(I imagine you & I & Dallas & Richard would have made a bare living as
wandering minstrels in those days!)  Some of it, however, is still in use for
various reasons.  One is that familiar tunes were often used to accompany
religious poetry... another is that years ago the Lord of the Manor was
usually expected to pay for a house of worship for his own family as well as
for the serfs who lived on his estate. In my irreverent "1066 and All That"
interpretation, Bach had to keep coming up with new hymn tunes so his wealthy
patron would not suffer the embarrassment of falling asleep in church. 
Certain folk songs & hymns may have survived because they came to the
attention of or were composed by someone who had the skills to pass them
along.  The average person may be unable to read four-part harmony as the
choir sees it, but chances are they'll recognize the soprano line.....  :-)



AH>  To this day, folks in the entertainment business say "you're
AH>  only as good as your last [gig]".  But once in awhile a song
AH>  which has dropped off the Top Ten list will eventually
AH>  resurface as a Golden Oldie or whatever.  I had a Beatles
AH>  poster in my band classroom after the initial excitement
AH>  had subsided, and was often asked "Who are the Beatles?"

JB>  They did it their way! 


           Uh-huh.  There's a senior citizen in our community band who comes
to life when we play songs from the 1920's.  I come to life when we do stuff
where all one has to do is read the notes (baroque & classical era). 
Different folks have different talents.  My attitude is "I am who I am... take
it or leave it!" Some folks actually like me that way.  If the younger crowd
views things from a different perspective, they can make their own unique
contribution too....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)