93

nd almost everything ; history, theory and finished a great work:

Oboe" (275 pages with•igrams). It would be Jld be published, as it achers in music and any conservatory of ~sider it an honor to yron Zakopets as part 5 faithful to his native !ady worked for more

e to consider him a terests. He is a kind­

Son who always finds iends and for his rail health, he finds it Ittle garden and grows , and pears. Myron's s responsible for the Ipets house is always !re one can wi tness even small informal rt he accepts all the , achievements and native land. already, his children lans. Lesya is a piano -fis two sons became Dotsteps: the older, nusic school named I1d a soloist in the opera studio of the younger, Vasyl, a )ecame a first prize lational contest in

are always new ways to surmount

critic and senior 'ute named for M V

Marsha Schweitzer's article "Response to CMA Board re: Art and Cultural Diversity" in the previous issue of The Journal of the International Double Reed Society (Issue 23,

pp. 73-76) is her second of two articles in our journals dealing with musical aesthetics. Her first article was critical of my writings concerning a Klaus Thunemann lecture.' Rather than multiply words upon words, at that time I decided not to reply to her critique of my work in 1993, for I deemed the substance of my Thunemann article undamaged by her salvos. The faJlacies contained in Schweitzer's recent work, however, necessitate a reply.

Schweitzer labors under the widely held misconception that Western musical culture is singular. Indeed, she is not alone in this opinion for the tome of choice at many music schools-Donald Jay Grout's A History of Western Music-also maintains that a unified culture exists:

... the word Western in our title reflects the realization that the musical system of Western Europe and the Americas is but one of several among the civilizations of the world. ' (Emphasis by Grout) Clearly this statement is absurd, for the Western

musical cultures are not one among many world cultures. There is not a single musical system that can account for the variety of musics (plural intended) created in the Western countries over the span of two millennia. Organum is not of the same musical system as a work by Haydn, and country western is not of the same musical system as a work by Varese. Though some of the music of John Cage and John Denver originated in the same nation and at the same time, they are clearly worlds apart. Indeed, the Western mUSical traditions are best understood as a plurality of parts not as a homogenous whole.

Perhaps, however, Schweitzer and Grout refer to the Common-Practice Period as their source of a singular Western culture. Even here their assertion is untenable. In his day, Johann Joachim Quantz recognized distinct musical traditions in Italy, France, and his country-Germany. In On Playing the Aute he extolled the vocal writing of the Italians and deprecated the "eccentricity and confused ideas" of their instrumental works.3 He characterizes the French composers as very scrupulous and overly

!DRS JOURNAL

A Reply to Schweitzer: On the Singular Western Musical

Culture and Other Misconceptions

By Terry B. Ewell Morgantown, West Virginia

restrained.' Quantz even dwells at length about the unique style of composition in his homeland. The notion that the musical cultures of the three nations were homogenous in the 18th century is strictly a modem conception. This clearly was not a point of view of people of that time held. Indeed, Quantz recognizes national preferences when he writes:

Neither an Italian nor a Frenchman can pass proper judgements upon these matters [how a musical composition is to be judged], ... Each will conSider the best that which accords with his native style, and will scorn everything else. Long custom, or deep-rooted prejudice, will constantly hinder each in comprehending the good qualities of the oppOSite faction, and the bad of his own." Perhaps our modern ears are dull to the distinct

differences of the musics of that day. Just as a Chinese speaker may mistake spoken English for spoken German, our foreign ears do not distinguish the clear differences in their native musical languages.

This does not mean that the musical cultures of the Western nations developed independent of one another. Quantz wrote that the German method of composition might best be described as a polyglot of musical styles. By borrowing from neighboring musical traditions, Quantz believed the Germans achieved an unusual synthesis:

If one has the necessary discernment to choose the best from the styles of different countries, a mixed style results that, without overstepping the bounds of modesty, could well be called the German style, not only because the Germans came upon it first, but because it has already been established at different places in Germany for many years , flourishes still, and displeases in neither Italy nor France, nor in other lands.' (Emphasis by Quantz) Here we have testimony about a multicultural music

cultivated in Germany prior to 1750. It was an unusual combination of Italian, French, and German elements, which was found nowhere else in the world.

Schweitzer characterizes Western musical cultures as a pernicious weed which displaces native plants.; I prefer, however, to adopt an analogy more sympathetic to Quantz 's writings. His Germanic musical culture was akin to a plant which readily accepts pollination by flora native to other lands.

I

94 /DRS JOURNAL

This plant produces new hybids, spreads into new lands, and again cross-pollinates. No longer is there a single variety of plant which chokes the life from indigenous vegetation, rather there are multiple varieties of plants bearing some similar and yet many dissimilar traits. After some time, the progeny bear little resemblance to each other or to their original German parent. Schweitzer, however, overlooks the diversity of Western musics when she writes , "We don't want an assimilated, hybrid music in which all cultural distinctions are lost.'''' If there is not a unique form to today's Western musics, how can distinctions be lost? Popular music in Hong Kong does not sound identical to popular music-High Life-in Ghana, despite the influences of Western musics. The musics change, for living musical cultures always do, but they do not progress towards a single musical style.

The people of each musical community decide which musics they wish to make a part of their culture. Links with indigenous musics may be maintained or purposely cut by the choicE' of each cultural group. The notion that a coalition of countries seeks to forcibly colonialize the world with a single musical style is farcical paranoia. Unilaterally a country may dominate another nation militarily, economically, and to a degree even musically ; but a "Unit ed Nations" of Western musical cultures working in overt and covert cooperation is pure fantasy. Even if it were to exist, its eftectiveness in influencing the musical will of a nation might be analogous to the United Nations present eftorts to bring about peace in Bosnia.

Not only the people of a musical community decide their culture, but individual composers and performers make the choice as well. Olivier Messiaen integrated ancient Hindu rhythmiC' patterns with bird calls and modern compOSitional techniques in his compositions. The composer John Cage blended new rhythmic forms and aleatoric materials with Eastern philosophies." Charlie Parker, saxophonist , integrated 20th-century harmonies with his vernaC'ular performance tradition. The musicians' freedom to choose elements comprising their musical technique or style all but insures a great musical diversity.

Marsha Scheitzer is concerned with the disap­pearance of pure, unadulterated musical cultures from the world. She speaks of a need for "patchwork quilt of cultural diversity" where apparently none of the fabrics bleed onto others in the wash-cycle of life." But compartmentalized, hermetically sealed musical cultures can only be a fantasy in our "global village." Attempts at sanitizing musical cultures no doubt will yield absurd results. Efforts to preserve musical cultures can only be partially successful at best, despite our modem technologies. One can learn

to play in the style of Louis Armstrong from his recordings, but that would be at best a feeble imita­tion of his craft. One would not maintain that learning the French language from taped recordings is equivalent to daily conversations with French citi­zens, likewise a musical culture cannot be thoroughly passed on, or even mastered with only recorded or written materials as a tutor. Without the people living in a culture, we only have relics of their cultural ex­perience. In essence, all cultures die when the people who live in them pass away.

Faced then with the certain mortality of every musical culture on earth, either we can share in Schweitzer's alarm or adopt (>uantz's more positive approach. Unlike Schweitzer, we can approve of string quartets playing salsa." We may in fact applaud the Kronos Quartet's recording of Hendrix's Purple Haze." ; For from these tender shoots, a new plant species may emerge; a new musical culture may set forth its flowers and scent the air with its fragrant perfume.•:.

Endnotes 'Terry B. Ewell , "On Klaus Thunemann and Becoming an ' Artist ,'" Th e Double' Ree'd 15/ 3 (Winter 1992) : 6/-68. Reprinted in The Double Reed 16/3 (Winter 1993) : 58-60. Marsha S(,hweitzer, "On the Source of "Artistry," ?lIe Double Reed 15/3 (Winter 1993): 60-62.

'Donald Jay Grout, A History of Western iv/usic , revised edition (New York: WW. Norton & Company, 1973), p. xi.

"Johann Joachim Quantz, On PlayiT1R the Rute, translated by Edward R. Reilly (New York: Schirmer Books, 1966), sf'ctions 62-<33, pp. 32&-327

·'Ibid., section 67, p. 329.

' Ibid. , section 72, p. 332.

''Ibid. , section 87. p. 341.

"Even China 's Cultural Revolution failed to break the stranglehold of Western culture once it had taken root in Asian soil." Schweitzer, "Response . .. ," p. 74.

' Schweitzer, "Response ... ," p. 75.

' For instance, see .lean-Jacques Nattiez, The Boulez.cage Corre­spondence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993).

,0 Schweitzer, "Response ... ," p. 74.

" I am reminded of Adolf Hitler's effort to rid the German language of all French words. This resulted in some very strange German substitutions.

"Schweitzer, "Response ... ," p. 75.

" Nonesuch Records LP79111-I, CD 79111-2

About the Authol' ... Dr. Teny B. Ewell is associate professor of bassoon and music theory at West Virginia University. Currently he also selVes as chair of the division of music His publications have appeared in four journals, and as principal bassoon with the Hong Kong Philhannonic and chamber musician with Arthur Grossman and Bruce Grainger, his recordinf{s have appeared under four labels He is the first winner of the Gillet Competition and one of the first recipients of the !DRS special project grants.

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