Sorry about that misquote DG.
Very interesting JBM. I think most of the problem may lie in the terms of Romanticism, Classicism, Modernism etc. You are right in your conclusion about what I am suggesting in the "Romantic" impulse in Stravinsky. i am thinking in the most elemental way possible when I refer to musical espression in the sense of "Romantic," not in the lace-collared Byronesque prettiness that today is assumed, especially by people who know nothing about the era and its artists but have decided they hate it. They were rebels against the crushing intellectualism of the Enlightenment, as well as the burdens of an intensely repressive society. The Rite of Spring, contrary to what everyone thinks - it absolutely pure Romanticism, because it returns to the roots of the movement - expression of primeval emotive impulses that destroy in order to create new forms. That is the essence of the Romantic Era.
Also, one thing about Classicism that should be kept in mind: in its purest form, it strove to unite the emotional (the Dionysian) with the intellectual (the Apollonian). If such a thing can be done in music, of course that is the ideal. But many adherents of the Classical went too far in one direction, just as many Romanticists did in the opposite. For me the ideal Romantic composers are Brahms, Schubert and Schumann, not Wagner or Strauss (though they are obviously great composers too) because the former three combined those "higher" elements of form and idea with the more "basic" one of emotion. But of course you can make the same case for any successful composer of any era.
One other thing I wanted to comment on:
"...I mean, I've already found myself a little irritated when people close to me wonder why I don't write like I did a few years ago. But the fact is, there's nothing so unfulfilling as regurgitating the same language over and over. We all need to find something new to strive for in our music. If we lose that deep urge to push ourselves forward, we lose the very inspiration that makes our music worth listening to..." JBM
This is true and a very important point. I would go even farther and say once you have done something, it is impossible to do it again without losing the energy and drive that you need in order to work at all. I absolutely cannot write in the "mode" that I wrote in years ago. It is an empty and meaningless exercise, even if back then I produced something that I liked. So people expecting someone like Stravinsky to re-do Firebird just with new notes have no idea of what is involved.
Very interesting JBM. I think most of the problem may lie in the terms of Romanticism, Classicism, Modernism etc. You are right in your conclusion about what I am suggesting in the "Romantic" impulse in Stravinsky. i am thinking in the most elemental way possible when I refer to musical espression in the sense of "Romantic," not in the lace-collared Byronesque prettiness that today is assumed, especially by people who know nothing about the era and its artists but have decided they hate it. They were rebels against the crushing intellectualism of the Enlightenment, as well as the burdens of an intensely repressive society. The Rite of Spring, contrary to what everyone thinks - it absolutely pure Romanticism, because it returns to the roots of the movement - expression of primeval emotive impulses that destroy in order to create new forms. That is the essence of the Romantic Era.
Also, one thing about Classicism that should be kept in mind: in its purest form, it strove to unite the emotional (the Dionysian) with the intellectual (the Apollonian). If such a thing can be done in music, of course that is the ideal. But many adherents of the Classical went too far in one direction, just as many Romanticists did in the opposite. For me the ideal Romantic composers are Brahms, Schubert and Schumann, not Wagner or Strauss (though they are obviously great composers too) because the former three combined those "higher" elements of form and idea with the more "basic" one of emotion. But of course you can make the same case for any successful composer of any era.
One other thing I wanted to comment on:
"...I mean, I've already found myself a little irritated when people close to me wonder why I don't write like I did a few years ago. But the fact is, there's nothing so unfulfilling as regurgitating the same language over and over. We all need to find something new to strive for in our music. If we lose that deep urge to push ourselves forward, we lose the very inspiration that makes our music worth listening to..." JBM
This is true and a very important point. I would go even farther and say once you have done something, it is impossible to do it again without losing the energy and drive that you need in order to work at all. I absolutely cannot write in the "mode" that I wrote in years ago. It is an empty and meaningless exercise, even if back then I produced something that I liked. So people expecting someone like Stravinsky to re-do Firebird just with new notes have no idea of what is involved.