Bill H. wrote:

>1) defining "American music" in Eurocentric terms is (almost) always
>going to be disadvantageous to the former, as it can often only be a "pale
>imitation" of the great classical music of the European masters.  The only
>music Yardley mentions that might be worthy of this standard is "Rhapsody
>in Blue" and "Appalachian Spring".

Actually I have a feeling that many Europeans would disagree.  I would
venture to say that to a Boulez or a Knussen the most important American
music would lie with Crumb, Carter, Ives, and Nancarrow.

>2) defining "American music" in terms of the concert hall and the symphony
>orchestra is far too limiting.  It leaves out the vast contributions of
>popular American composers, jazz etc.  In these areas, American music can
>stand with anything else, but because it is often derided as "popular", it
>gets no mention in such anthologies.

While this is definitley a valid point, aren't these articles about a CD
set put out by the NYPO, an orchestra that plays in a concert hall? I don't
understand why this is even an issue in regards to this CD-set.  It's an
understood precondition, or so I thought.

>My own take on the article is of a skeptical bent--anything put out by
>the NYPO on "American Music" is likely to refer to the symphonic side of
>things, and this shouldn't by itself be the subject of a polemic, any more
>than a jazz or a rock'n'roll (or Country and Western for that matter)
>anthology is likely to be genre-centric.

I wouldn't even say it's an anthology.  It's just a celebration of the ties
the NYPO has with American music and the history it has of performing and
premiering important American works.  I don't think they're even attempting
to be an end-all collection of any type of music.

>I also wonder if the comparisons being made are between music from
>different eras.  American symphonic music is dominated by 20th century
>composers, and in this sense 20th century CM tends to get unfavorable
>comparisons with the 3Bs, or Mozart, Chopin etc.  whatever the country
>of origin?

That depends on the person and is another issue altogether.  Again, you're
arguing against a precondition of this release.

>That said, "classical" American Music also includes chamber and piano
>music, songs, Broadway musicals (at least to me) and similar scaled works
>that don't make it into the concert hall per se.  ...

Again, I think we all realise this (or the vast majority do) but you must
remember what exactly this set is and entails (see above and the intro book
to this set).  I myself find it an extremely enjoyable collection with many
great performances and interesting pieces (Crumb's Sun-CHild, finally on
CD!) I think it is a great project put out by the NYPO and hope that other
orchestras will follow suit.

Cheers,

Marcus Maroney