4 Apr
2005
4 Apr
'05
10:48 a.m.
On Monday 04 April 2005 12:20 am, Michal Seta wrote:
Interesting stuff! (above)
MarC
<marc_contrib(a)ramonvinyes.es>es>:
How did Bach do it?
I think the question to ask is: did Bach own his music?
What was the attitude towards music ownership in the Baroque era,
anyways? I am not quite sure, although recently I started looking at
these issues, but all I know is that a very common practice in those
days was to copy other composers' scores in order to learn the craft,
quote other composers, use similar compositional techniques/vocabulary
as the masters, quote folk song, plainsong, etc.
It has been proven that many of the compositions that were attributed
to Bach, are not his, in fact. The famous Anna Magdalen Notebook
contains pieces that are now known to be not of his but simply
included in the collection which served as an 'instructional' book for
keyboard playing.
Also, for over 20 years Bach 'composed' weekly music for the church he
was employed by. Not all of his music survived but it is also known
that he has 'recycled' his own music for that purpose.
Did Bach actually pondered the idea of ownership of his own music?
I doubt it, since he make his pupils copy his scores. However, the following has ot be taken into
consideration, of course:
> Coming up with something like G-C-E7 is a complex process, sure ;) Hell,
> make it Bbmaj9-Gm7-F/C-C-D/C. But do you really intend to say this is
> yours? That you invented this, put it into the world, out of the blue?
> Isolated from everything you've ever heard or experienced in your life?
> Originality someone? What is that?
The following is way OT, and having written it, I'm debating whether to send
it, trash it, or just stick it somewhere in my own "files" for further
"cogitation". As you may have guessed ;-) (especially if you're reading
this), I succumbed to temptation and pressed send.
<troll/thinking out loud>
Have you ever thought about how land ownership started? (e.g., starting from
the nomadic lifestyle in prehistoric times) And how it's maintained? (Not
really seeking an answer / discussion.) I think about it sometimes, and have
to ask: was it a good thing that the concept of ownership (of land) started?
Add to that the specialization of labor.
Where would we be without them? I really don't know, possibly a much smaller
(world) population, possibly more "idyllic" lifestyle, but less advanced
science, medicine, etc.? I haven't reconciled these things in my own mind.
When the concept of ownership prevents me from doing things that I want to do
(obtain music, medical care, etc. at less than the "prevailing" cost, I
resent how we got to this state. When I think that I might not be alive, or
have, for example, computer technology except for things that may be
partially the result of the concept of ownership and/or specialization of
labor, I tend to consider them a good thing.
But, if I wasn't alive (i.e., had never been born), I don't think I'd resent
anything. ;-) And, whatever conclusion I come to about whether ownership /
specialization of labor in the past has been a good thing or not does not
prove that they are still a good thing / the way forward.
</troll/thinking out loud>
Randy Kramer
I totally agree!
I'm thinking, sometimes, that people are really trying hard to protect
their work with 'intellectual property' labels in fear that someone
else will use their ideas in a much more creative ways. Which has
happened, of course, and history is our witness.