Since our ancestors have discovered that you can blow into a tube of reeds with a hole and extract unusual sounds, much has changed. The tribal drums died out, ancient Rome rushed and tragically died in the copper Reva of Bacinators, and the Middle Ages responded to Lutnia in the fall of the Middle Ages.
Then there was a Renaissance, which is still considered the peak of human creative thought, secular rounds in wigs. Bach wrote Gothic Tokata and Fugu Republic, Salieri killed Mozart (there are such rumors), Napoleonic military marches were bent, Russian romances were bitterly sweet. Humanity unexpectedly fell into itself into the XX century, where the form often prevails over the content. SOVITWAVE, American jazz, country, rap, rock, metal, alternative, electronics, bard music, indie ..
All genres today cannot be listed. But despite all this diversity, I still have the impression that we are stepping back to the same pipe from the reed. Does the music really degrade or I just don’t understand its evolution?
I want to say in advance that this is not a scientific or historical analysis, but simply my thoughts with which you are free to argue or agree. I am well aware that this is a very controversial and ambiguous topic, since music is a purely subjective thing. But this is the charm of ambiguous topics.
Let’s go through the classics
Do not think that I am a grouse, I am an extremely omnivorous creature. In my playlist, Marilyn Manson is adjacent to Shevchuk, Tom Jork, Eminem and Tchaikovsky. But I have a persistent feeling that in general, music is becoming more primitive.
For simplicity of understanding, I think, I have to start with the classics. Today it is considered elite music. Yes, symphonic orchestras collect full halls, but the share of admirers of classical music regarding the entire audience is a relatively small.
Unfortunately, I have no specific data that confirm this, because the charts on the network vary very much and contradict each other, and Yandex.Music "at my request replied that she was not conducting such statistics. But, I think, no one will argue with the fact that classical music does not collect full stadiums, such as Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The fact is that we are accustomed to a simple scheme – a chorus -boom, while classical music has a rather complex structure. It is rather like a river that constantly changes – narrows, expands its direction, becomes stormy or calm. In the classics (not always, but often) there is a constant development and because of this, a modern person simply does not hear music.
And it also affected me, although I studied at a music school. Often, when they gave me for analysis this or that work, I could not immediately learn it, because I did not hear the music in it. I heard only a set of harmonic sounds. Yes, pleasant ear, but not folding into something integral. My perception, formed on constant reprisals of simple topics (chorus-bonfire-derivatives), simply could not collect these sounds together. I had to separately run the record at the right pace in order to understand what this music is about.
And today, despite my more or less “alienity”, I still do not understand the huge layer of classical music (especially the opera). I perceive only relatively simple works with a pronounced melody. For example, one of my favorite works is the suite of Aram Khachaturian from the film "Masquerade". Many call her "waltz" masquerade. Since this is a suite, that is, the music of a cyclical shape, it immediately sinks into the soul.
And my beloved "Sarabanda" Georga Friedrich Handel, despite the fact that it is written in the Baroque era (which, by modern standards, is characterized as "for a long time and untruth") and works at all according to all the laws of modern movie music (we will return at this point). There is a very beautiful motive that repeats, slightly changing. It is no coincidence, they like to insert it into modern films. For example, she played in the tragic scene of the death of Prokoso in Raid 2.
At the waltz Frederick Chopin up to # minor No. 7 The structure is already more complicated, there is a more interesting development, but in principle, the music here is also quite easy to catch.
The same applies to "Guard the cows" Luis de Narvaes, who appeared at the sunset of the Middle Ages (or immediately after – historians still argue about when this Middle Ages ended). There is a pronounced melody at the beginning, and then the same river begins that I spoke above above.
But in Conde Claros the same Narvaez "river" has come from the very beginning. Here an unprepared person can really be difficult to catch a melody. Everything turns into a set of sounds.
Well, to the heap – Peter Tchaikovsky and his Waltz. The music is constantly changing, constantly changing pace, mood. Catching the melody becomes extremely difficult.
The development of people stuck on the spot?
At one time I believed that the reason lies in the fact that people have changed a lot since then when this music was written. That the people of Bach understood Bach not because they were more educated and sophisticated, but because they were simply born at that time. Rudely, speaking, they were in context, but we did not. For them, listen to the roar of the organ, overflow of piano and trill of violin – naturally. They were born and grew up surrounded by this music. And we need to make efforts for this. You need to concentrate, you need to have emotional experience in listening to such music, you need to get used to its rules. And it is also advisable to understand these rules for which it does not hurt to have a musical education. Previously, music classes were included in the mandatory training course of young people and ladies, now – no. Pioneer songs in music lessons in elementary schools I do not take into account.
But, having thought a little, I came to the conclusion that in those days classical music was also elitist. That is, there was a relatively small layer of aristocrats who were really born and grew up to the sounds of classics. And there were commoners who had fun a much closer to a modern man – a simple, reprise, with a simple motive that is easy. This is what we call folk today. For example, many beloved English folk song "Green Sleeves".
So, it turns out that society has not changed since the Middle Ages? We remained at the same stage of emotional development, if not the huge layer of culture that we inherited over all past centuries, neither the development of music itself changed this status?
Further is easier
I think yes, the status. Moreover, over time, the music really becomes more primitive. Even jazz, which appeared at the end of the 19th and early XX centuries, today is considered elitist music, and after all, it was once part of the grassroots culture. At first it was the music of freedom, which everyone came to listen, and several decades later, the collective farmer Nikita Sergeyevich issues the following:
Let all lovers of jazz excuse me, but if you have your own opinion, then do not deprive me of my feelings, my opinions, my tastes. I do not like this music! I don’t understand! I don’t understand! Everyone should play on their musical instrument. And you say that this is an orchestra? And I will say: no – it will be cacophony.
Tell me, the heart on your heart does not seem to you that music loses melody over time? It does not seem to you that the march of British grenadiers is much nicer than heavy and, excuse me, the completely primitive seventh symphony of Shostakovich, written in the 20th century? Yes "Imperial march" from the "Star Wars" and that sounds more interesting.
Film and game music
In my opinion, in our time (by ours I understand both the XX and XXI century), the maximum simplification of music occurs. Take the legendary Paint Its, Black Great Rolling. I adore it, but this is a fixed repetition of one very simple motive. And even in the instrumental performance there is no development. This is literally a repetition of one and the same as a melody in a children’s toy.
On the same principle, modern "movie music" works. I mean comrades, like Hans Zimmer, John Williams and Danny Elfman. Take the composition Coda From the "Dark Phoenix", which I am ready to listen to endlessly while I walk along the street. This is a very cool instrumental processing of a very beautiful, but short and repeated motive.
With a magnificent topic Time From the "beginning" is still easier. There music is literally built of seven notes. Yes, there is development, there is a gradual increase, but fundamentally the composition does not change.
Compare purely visually notes from the above -mentioned Narvaes and Tsimmer.
The same with the famous and many beloved Duel of the Fates From star wars. It is arranged somewhat more complicated, there is more interesting and diverse development, there are much more tools, but by and large it is also a repetition of the same. Please note that after the logical completion of the composition in the fourth minute, it all starts in a new.
And I also noticed that it catches not so much sophistication as classical music, but with power. When you hear this choir, goosebumps immediately run on the skin. The epic reaches an incredible level, as if you were at the center of the grand battle of paradise and hell.
We also include the music of Ramin Javadi, although we must pay tribute, he has interesting finds. For example, I like that in the composition of Sweetwater (aka Tran Theme), the main topic from the first season of the Wild West World, there is a halter under the inept play on a slightly upset piano in the saloon and stylization of the train knit. Such a musical postmodern. Agree that in repeated motives with an increase in the accompaniment there is something hypnotic.
In order to somehow justify the presence of this blog on the game site, I will give an example of the main topic from Assassins Creed Revelations, to which everything that I said above is applicable. Beautiful, powerful, beautiful female vocals, but everything eventually boils down to playing an uncomplicated melody.
And so that my example was even more clear: by the time of the release Assassins Creed Origins All this oriental beauty rolled up to just an indistinct and creaky emboss. You wait for the "Arab Night, the Magic East", and you get the sounds of workshop number five of the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant. Why are you not degradation.
But here you should immediately make Wink Slots casino a reservation. Both cinema, and especially game music carry an additional function. They are not something separate, they are part of a work of art, so they cannot be taken away from it. The goal of game music is to create the necessary mood, push the player to the right emotions. Therefore, even remaining structurally simple, they can still be deep due to the context.
For example, if you turn on a person who has never been sitting for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, The main topic from the game, he will hear just a pleasant, but unremarkable perky music. And if you turn on the track to the person who went through the game, then he will immediately hear the whistle of the wind, the creak of the sails, the sun, the salty air and the taste of Roma will feel. But the main thing is that the music of the Black Flag immediately tunes in a frivolous way.
And the main topic Deus Ex Human Revolution (She Icarus) with her electronic emboss, which develops into powerful female vocals, causes a feeling of anxiety.
And the sad guitar bustard of the main topic Last of us – feeling of sadness and longing.
And what a range of emotions causes Room of Angel the famous akira Yamaoki, I will not even say. This is definitely his best composition.
And pay attention to the selection of tools. The synthesizer in Deus Ex Human Revolution not only sends wibes to the classic of cyberpunk Kino, which was shot mainly in the 80s, when this tool was extremely popular. This also gives Gamer a sense of artificiality. After all, the main topic is augmentation, artificial improvement. And the main question that the game raises is what makes us people. After the intersection of which feature we cease to be.
And the guitar in Last of US is not just a tool, it is an emotional bridge that connects Ellie with its past.
But probably the most ideal OST is the sound for the game NEVERHOOD. He is fucking as much as possible. As if someone locked the smoked Peter Mamonov at night with a guitar and a microphone turned on. Ideal.
Another argument in favor of the inability to consider music in isolation from the work is its contextuality.
For example, the first exit to the surface of Mars in Doom 2016 is accompanied by a steep nozzle from Mick Gordon, which ends with the sound of a shotgun reload. That is, the intra -game sound weapon is part of the music.
And in the same scene with a fight on the bus in Shan-Chi you can notice that the rhythm of music is adjusted to the movements of the protagonist (or vice versa). That is why the battle is perceived as something incredibly cool. Although if you run the track separately from the video – well, just the usual electronic location that can be heard in any club.
What’s with sausages, Charlie?
But back to the topic of simplification. Simplification, in my opinion, is a common trend that affects all genres except old -regime, like classical music and opera. And how to say "besides". Everyone knows about the existence. And everyone knows the ERA group, which tried to create a populated arrangement of spiritual Catholic music. And quite successfully, I must say.
I honestly stole the following arguments by the blogger Inside the Score and his video "Death of the Melody", but he did it mainly because he well argued thoughts that already occurred to me. He drew attention to the fact that modern music is very poor, if you discard the arrangement and leave only the melody. Taylor Swift’s verse in the song LOOK What You MADE ME Do consists of only three notes, but there is no melody in the chorus. In the song Billy Ailish Bad Guy One note is repeated. And if we go even further, we recall that there is still rap, where, in principle, there may not be a melody. The main thing there is the rhythm.
Inside the Score believes that "the melody has gone out of fashion". It seems to me that music is simply experiencing the stage of postmodernism, like perhaps everything that surrounds us.
One of my teachers at the university said: "We live in the era of postmodernism, where the ability to draw is not necessarily at all". The Black Square is exhibited in galleries along with Madonna Sandro Botticelli, although it was clearly required to create Magnum Opus Malevich much less time and skill. It’s just that at some point the conceptuality of the picture began to be appreciated in the same way as the skill of its performance. The Dadaists put the toilet in the London Museum and had fun, watching how connoisseurs of high art were looking for a deep meaning in Finnish plumbing. That is, trolling becomes part of the work.
And with music, in my view, plus the minus is the same. Eminem’s bastard tracks lose value without a clip and knowledge of American mass culture.
In Vysotsky and BG, music often, in principle, fades into the background, the main thing is the texts. And which performance does the performances of Peter Mamonov turn into – this is generally a separate topic for conversation. There is already not even about music and not about texts, but simply about the form form.
Another thing that explains the simplification of music is Clip thinking. We live in the era of an excess of information. We cannot assimilate it all, therefore it tends to perceive the works fragmentary, mosaically. Bright, but fragmentary images that are quickly forgotten, giving way to new. And we also live too fast and we do not have time to listen to the opera "Queen of Spades" for three hours. Because of this, we are not able to perceive the whole picture, only pieces. Here is one of the reasons why many of us do not hear classical music.
And what will happen next?
Honestly, this question scares me and worries. In the film "Human Child", the action of which takes place in the near future, one of the characters offers the main character to listen to Z-music. When he turns on it, the viewer’s hair on his head becomes on end. Z -music in the world of Alfonso Kuaron is a wild cacophony of human screams, a roar and clang of metal.
Found only in this capacity, I apologize in advance
For a long time I perceived this as a stupid hyperbole, until one day this. I sat at work and heard strange music with an interesting beat. After listening, I realized that these are the sounds of a construction site nearby. And then it occurred to me for the first time that Z -music is a very real prospect of our development.
Another option is the world shown in the film "Destroyer", where music exists only in the form of short advertising songs for one to two minutes. This is the logical development of our perception of art in conditions of clip thinking.
And to be honest, neither the first nor the second option inspire me with optimism.
What do you think about the development of music? Whether we are talking about the degradation of our feeling of beauty or is it its natural evolution, an attempt to become something big?
The best comments
I don’t know, I’m not sure that Billy Ailish and Taylor Swift need to measure the evolution or degradation of what is called “music”. It is like, according to the genre of sports simulators, talk about the state of the video game industry as a whole. Sales there are wow, but with the rest-problems.
The music is different, the music is different important. And what is popular specifically now is just a reflection of the state of the world, not a state of music. Classic, jazz, blues (and here further a long transfer of genres) composers and groups still exist, write new material and earn money on this, which means that this has listeners (or financing of some state-state funds). But, like, the avant-garde jazz The scene lives completely, and the “chaotic set of sounds” that are happening there is very “chaos there”.
I believe that music becomes easier not qualitatively, but quantitatively. If conditionally 50 years ago 5-10 new names a year appeared, now new musicians, composers, groups and so on appear daily. Dozens of festivals of various genres and directions. Music now is not necessarily a profession.Everyone can be heard. And it’s cool. Tools and tools have become more affordable, now to write music is enough to have a computer and desire at home. The same applies to the spread of creativity. No need to get into the rotation of thematic stations, channels, and so on. The Internet has reconciled everyone. No one else sets trends, no one can impose on anyone what to listen. You no longer need to poison Mozart to be heard (if it’s a joke) everyone listens to what you like.
Just the music itself has become a hundred times more. And naturally, not everyone was born Wagenre, Orth or Vivaldi.
Therefore, if you take it in the total mass, yes, the music has become easier.
And there is nothing wrong with that. The main thing is that the music is clinging to whether the orchestra and years of sleepless nights or water pipes and blue paint are already needed for this.
This is not music became primitive.This author grew up from the "pants" of Mozart and Chopin.It could be worth switching to Shtokgauzen, Debussy and Stravinsky?
Well, the author, you want not primitive – listen to Tool, Pink Floyd, Mastodon, Kidh (only without the prefix “Kore”), Gent … Yes, the mountain progressive groups and genres exists in our time. Jazz also has not disappeared anywhere. Neoclassica also has a place to be. Still, they remember the story with the soundtrack to the MGS and Logvinov? Well, there was a neoclassic-composer too.
And the fact that it is not popular, well, so, everyone has their own preferences.
Well, primitivism in accessible music in terms of building melodies and arrangements is compensated by the difficulty of working in the studio. That the intelligence of Mozart, if there is no conductor who will competently plant and kill the orchestra? So and now, only on the contrary-what is the use of scolding for primitivism in melodies, if all the magic occurs behind the computer at the sound producer? And the work of the producer is not easier than the work of the conductor-you must play more or less or at least have an idea of the nature of each tool (up to the violin brand and the thickness of the strings in guitars). Even before the recording, you should already understand how the whole track should sound entirely. You must have a great own DAW, be able to work with VST, understand how the sound is formed, how to record it. Know physics at the minimum level to understand about fluctuations, decibels and other sound waves. And all this, ideally, should be well sold and liked by people.
Do not consider for advertising, but on YouTube there is a channel "Sound in hands" from the vocalist "Abyss of anal oppression". He has a vidos where they look at the source tracks from the Du Hast from Rammstein. Nevertheless they remember what a cool, dense and stroke track they? So, separately his instruments sound like shit))
This is me to the fact that the writing of music itself is only part of the matter. We perceive then we are not written by the text of the notes, namely the sounds on the recording. And who is more ingenious – the conductor who knows how to liva or the sound producer who knows how to do everything I described above is a stupid lesson, IMHO.
Perhaps he is forced to agree that the mass consumer is not interested in complex music, but fortunately – she still has.
I highly recommend listening to the following tracks, as well as in general, groups such as Animals as Leaders, Mestis, Plini
I would like you to explain at the beginning why modern music degrades because I initially disagree. Firstly, the music used to have other functions-people came to listen to the symphony, for the sake of experiment, and now mass music serves in order to listen to it in everyday life, in principle, folk music, bard song, etc. it was the same and if you compare them, it is obvious that modern music is better.
Secondly, well, you listen to something except pop music, rock, let’s say we have a genre rap after which I follow and it tends to develop and this is clearly visible. But even without this, some DR DRE at the beginning of the zero who hires the most professional musicians on the instruments, so that they make him a lively and cool sound, rewritten samples, etc. … and a person who spends time in the studio without days off-you dare to say that his music is degradation and that he is only engaged in simplification-well.
I advise you to listen to – Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Skriptonitis is modern geniuses of music that albums that change the industry and still warn that the American raP has a feature of a lot of musicians, but their albums are so -so as American listeners can not listen to albums and people come in very strongly by singles.
In general, I advise you to listen to the lectures of Anna Vilenskaya, she signs the music very well.
Great blog, thanks to the author for the labors, but still I can’t say that I fully agree with him
I am still inclined to the idea that nothing has changed and now instead of the same folk conditional Billy Ailish, and instead of classics, conditional Tosin Abashi
In many ways, even music did not degrade, but expanded the understanding and perception of a person
Who is conditional 50-70 years ago, could listen to Code Orange, Daughters, Knocked Loose, or some kind of mathematics like The Dillinger Escape Plan
There were genres like drone, shugaiz, industrial-navel that use absolutely atypical tools (if these are tools) and people listen to these genres, and they find something in them
Rather, mass music is massive and that for everyone and everyone, because it is simplified
Yes, there are groups like BMTH that go towards simplification (degradation?), but at the same time there are groups reflective, thinking. And it seems to me that they will not go anywhere, since the request of society to such music will always be (I want to believe in it)
I believe that you should not be scared that the music is simplified. Yes, Ailish has 1 note in Bad Guy, but this did not prevent me from enjoying the perfectly made debut album where everything is in place, and then switch and listen to 15 -minute Opeth songs
So here I am about. There may be music within the specific genre or set of genres and degraded for wider coverage, but other music has not gone anywhere. And if complex and interesting music suddenly disappears from the world, then someone will definitely come up with it
This is not a mat, this is a literary word. Just swearing.
First, we do not have a temporary banks. Three warnings and ban.
Secondly, I’m sure. The word "bitch" in itself is quite literary, so you can use it in general cases. But due to the presence of a negative context he has, it will be punishable if you start walking and calling everyone “bitch” (industry figures, authors, site users).
I have a question – what’s wrong with simple music? If the music is complicated, whether it does it by default good? If you convert everything to the plane of the thesis “Music should give pleasure/transmit mood or atmosphere”, then simple melodies are quite able to cope with this. Here, by analogy with games, the developers can bore a bunch of mechanic in the game, making it complex and non -trivial, but they will still play the conditional Vampire Survivors. Because the main thing is that the game is interesting.
I disagree that modern music has become simple. These popular genres repeatedly dispose of the same technique, because an ordinary person is not up to these high matters – the easier the better. And the fewer elements, the simpler and more beautiful they can be combined. On the other hand, if you add complex performance, then you can “stumble” by making a melody and you will turn out to be a non -packed throat.
And I agree with the speaker above – that old music, performed another function. I will only add that listen to the same motive for an hour, that is still flour. Therefore, the music has constantly changed, now with a duration of 3 minutes in this, firstly, there is no need, but, secondly, why make one track in which 5 songs, when you can release 5 separate songs and weld on this. Although this does not mean that some performers do not do this, for example, Awolnation – Stop that Train.
But back to our rams regarding simplicity, you just need to listen to different genres and performers. There are complex melodies, and interesting combinations of tools, and multi -layer (over the last I adore Nin). But not always it is pleasant to listen to them and this is also the essence)
What a year! Their Monomyth spun in their heads: 3
And what a range of emotions causes Room of Angel the famous akira Yamaoki, I will not even say. This is definitely his best composition.
For me, the largest range of emotions is caused by Dark and Industrial Ambient Muztreki Yamaoki-san in games (let them consist 90 percent of various seamstress libraries), such as unofficial collections of Complete Soundtrack from the same Silent Hill. Especially from the first and third part. X_____x and songs with vocals Elizabeth McGlinn are somehow too pop-up (let and beautiful), the same muster with Joe Romers or Swedes from Interlas are much more interesting. = S
And how not to mention in the context of the video game soundtracks of a comrade as Yesper Kud, who can perfectly create muscles both in electronic, both in orchestral and hybrid sounds =]
On the topic: specifically in the "my" genres, I always find what I like and what catches. Yes, there is a problem of simplification, but … I think it cannot be solved in any way. Now, to be commercially successful, some groups really make music easier. And people are required by simplicity, and musicians often adapt to them. Demand gives birth to a proposal. Where does the demand come from? Two factors, as for me – people are accustomed to comfort and became more lazy and they do not want to strain, and the second, the opposite – some, on the contrary, work too much, and after a hard workday of which would be simpler.
But my respect to collectives, which nevertheless create for the sake of creating something great, not adjusting to the desires of the audience and not surrendering under the oppression of the world where money is being ruled. I hope such guys will not die out in my century.
above correctly noted, demanding the proposal.
There is a request for the sounds of shots and reloading as a bits-tag you trailers with just such a sound row.
regarding degradation/development-disputed moment. In my century, D’B, Black Metal and a couple more genres have already managed to bury twice. And nothing, all the same musicians are able to surprise and sound fresh. Again, IMHO and based on experience -the reduction is a considerable measure of the perception of music. Tell me that under 40 I will be highly from the field records and vanilla shugaiz -I would not believe
Mat is literally three words denoting the genitals and the process of reproduction, as well as countless derivatives from them.
cool blog)) informative, interesting, well -decided)
It was nice to read
I wish the mowing of the week to this blog!
I especially hooked on him, because in May I also prepare a blog in music, specifically about the Synthwave genre and I am a little worried that this site may not be in the subject of this.
So read something on music on this site and follow the successes of the blog-I am now
Sorry by the darling and maybe just find fault, but
There music is literally built of seven notes
Isn’t it only 7 notes in music? Well, yes, we can say that there are 12 of them, for there are still chromatic notes, maybe this was meant. But the claim just sounds somehow not entirely clear
Lascia un commento