2/6

In reading about Varese, his ideas struck me as very bold and forward. He apologizes for nothing. To some extent, this point is valid. Varese puts his musical idiom out there to be judged without a worry or an apology. This could be the reason he gained popularity as a composer so quickly.

His ideas, however seem unfounded. While Varese alludes to his ideas, in his essay New Instruments and New Music, of how electronic media can produce 'zones of intensities,' an idea which seems to prefer a lack of blended sound, without any interference, a pure and controlled tone. He believes that with electronic sound, people now have greater control over the music and can ask for a more specific sound, ensuring that it be duplicated precisely upon replaying. His 'zones of intensity' are tonal colors unblended, independent. I have always believed some of the beauty of music is the blending itself, the way in which a player can play a passage a different way upon every performance, how different instruments in tandem produce different colors, and how wide a variety of sounds any one pair of instruments can produce. Varese advocates this pure sound based on machines, but human emotion comes through with human playing far better than a stable pure tone could. From the sound of this first essay, Varese seems to prefer an absence of blending and variation. Knowing that hearing the same symphony performed by two different orchestras can produce two completely different pieces is one of the allures of the performer's persona.

In his Music as an Art-Science, Varese provides historic content for the ideas he put forth in New Instruments and New Music. These, in this essay, are unfounded. He never backs up the statements he makes, and believes that the reader will infer that he did the research necessary to make these claims. He stated that today Berlioz could get all the colors and sounds he wanted. Who is to say he did not at the time? This article provided a smug, arrogant picture of the famous composer, and turned me sour to his ideas even more than the last essay. Varese states that the electronic will produce more tones and new tonal colors and scales, as well as even better harmonies and sub harmonies. This statement is again made without any indication as to what these sounds might be. Further, Varese fails to explain why the instruments at his disposal are insufficient. Music as an Art-Science resonates that the medium is the message. The new tonal colors and sounds (whatever they are), are the new music in themselves. He never puts forth the thought, why should we change music? What is to be gained from exploring this new realm? His ideas are just his own brand, and he self-promotes them without explaining why we should listen. In reading through Rhythm, Form, and Content; Spatial Music; and The Electronic Medium; I discovered that they were further parroting of this message, providing little more substance or focus.