Alan Dudley wrote:

>It is much the same with music.  It is not unusual to find the words
>"cloying", "saccharine", or even "sweet" in disapproving critical
>reviews.
>
>Was it always like this?  My memory says not.  Before 1950 or so I
>remember people liking sweet music, never complaining that it was
>too sweet.

This is a topic that Don Vroon of American Record Guide often discusses
in his monologues.  He feels that modern day performances play down the
sweetness of works; he much prefers that they wring every ounce of emotion
out a piece of music.

He may have a point, but I haven't personally noticed performances becoming
less emotional.  But, I'm often wrong about trends.  It could be that in
an age of reason/logic (if that's what we are in) the tendency would be to
keep one's cool and not go overboard.  But, in the world of current day pop
music, the songs are just as sweet and cloying as ever, and I, as usual,
find them hard to take.

If the trend is away from "sweetness", I'm all for it.  Let's keep things
in perspective and not get carried away with emotion.  And, "not get
carried away" does not mean that emotions should be submerged, just that
they don't ooze out of our bodies.  A healthy balance of emotion and logic
is good (unless I feel like erupting).

I still think that referring to someone as a "sweet" person is a
compliment.  Music is a different story.

Don Satz
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