| We always hear talk of new music and the new | | | | lawsuits being filed by one artist against another, |
| music release but, on closer examination, these | | | | saying that their song was 'ripped off.' This |
| terms are words that are loosely bandied about. | | | | happened even back in the days of Classic Rock, |
| They are words sent forward with dead certain | | | | and understandably, since rock was so obviously |
| intent and yet they have no certain criteria. | | | | derivative of the older big band sounds. |
| They are like other words that we also use with | | | | Even though we have been through a dozen or |
| serious intent that also have, at best, a subjective | | | | more labels since, such as new wave, punk, and |
| meaning; words such as 'god,' 'soul,' and 'normal.' | | | | grunge, there has not been much movement |
| First of all, when we use the words 'new music,' | | | | away from the usual chord progressions. The |
| we make the arrogant assumption that we are | | | | Beatles were quite glib about songs that they had |
| talking about the new music of our own | | | | 'nicked' or stolen, meaning that they had taken |
| generation, as if preceding generations did not | | | | the chord structure of some song and changed |
| have and talk about new music. | | | | the tempo and lyrics. One obvious example of this |
| Let us go back to the early 1700s, at the end of | | | | is 'There Were Bells' and 'Little Child' which appear |
| J.S. Bach's lifetime where we will find only one | | | | on the same album! |
| such circumstance of the advent of new music. | | | | A recent article in the Times defended this |
| J.S. Bach's sons were among the proponents of | | | | process, saying that when an artist makes certain |
| this new music that we now call Classical. | | | | changes to a song and individualizes it with their |
| The music of J.S. Bach's day, the Baroque, was a | | | | own view of it and interpretation, then they own |
| more complex form of music, thus we see yet | | | | that (version) of the song. |
| another instance of new music involving a | | | | Ironically, this is more in line with the view |
| de-evolution of sorts and part and parcel with a | | | | composers in the baroque seemed to take. Bach |
| popular movement. | | | | thought nothing of changing Vivaldi violin concertos |
| As a student, I had a music history professor | | | | to harpsichord concertos as he thought nothing of |
| whose pet theory was that everything after J.S. | | | | his own music being played on completely |
| Bach was just a recycling of material, as it were. | | | | different instruments than it was originally written |
| If you look at music from the standpoint of the | | | | for. |
| harmonies only, it is difficult to argue against what | | | | All of which begs the question; is there really such |
| he said. | | | | a thing as new music. Perhaps there is only the |
| Again, in this day and age, we are seeing lots of | | | | new music release. |