Bob Draper wrote:

>Chris Bonds writes:
>
>>As the wag says, there are 2 kinds of people: those who say there are 2
>>kinds of people and those that don't...
>
>This sounds like a corollory to my theory about two kinds of listener
>posted under the thread musical tastes.
>
>Does the wag remark refer to my previous theory?

I have a confession to make--I didn't read your post!  But through the
magic of search engines I found it, read it, and liked it!  (At the time
you posted it I wasn't thinking in terms of dichotomies--that came in
reading the reviews of Callas recordings on amazon.com.  {Hah!  the truth
comes out...}).

>In fact I would go further and say that your theory is in fact a subset of
>mine.  But before I can be sure please explain what you mean by intensity.
>Do you mean intensity in the performance or do you mean opera seria as
>opposed to opera buffa or a combination of both.

Performance intensity.  But as I think about it, that is maybe
inaccurate or partially correct.  What I'm suggesting is something
more all-encompassing--i.e., is the function of music purely aesthetic,
by which I would mean is the goal that of appreciating the beauty of
tone, execution, grace, taste, &c.  that one associates with top-notch
performance--or does the music exist because it is the best way to
communicate feeling and all that implies? The answer for me is, both; but
if I had to choose one or the other I would take the latter.  I don't
know--is that a subset of yours? I think counterpoint--when it's at the
level of Bach, or one of the great Renaissance contrapuntists like Ockeghem
or Josquin--can be very liberating emotionally--because you get involved in
the playing out of the lines.  It transports you into a realm that in no
way can be described as arid or intellectual.  You have to have intellect
and technical command to write the stuff, but the end result is worthless
unless in the service of this transporting that I'm talking about.  The
basis of counterpoint is shared voices.  That is community.  A coming
together.  Not existing in a vacuum.  It says "we are family." Great
counterpoint harmonizes our lives.  But it's certainly not the only way
to the heart.

Chris Bonds