Sean on rhapsody, the Rite and Bax

[Sean]

Coffee with you may not be such an occasion for the other chap 

Indeed there would be a high probability of that; I'm an unrealistic optimist.

I think this audience with me can be drawn to a close.

[Sean]

And, in a way, there is only one of these, Sean's, the other minds being of no account at all unless of course they agree with Sean, in which case they are correct.

I'll go with that!

Best wishes.

[Elgarian]

Can we explore non tonal folk music a bit more? It seems cavalier to dismiss them like that.

Beyond cavalier, I fancy. If I think in terms of a spectrum of description stretching from 'natural' to 'unnatural', and speaking merely as a human being rather than a music theorist, then I imagine folk music must be about as close to the 'natural' end of the spectrum as it's possible to get, short of shamanistic drumming or suchlike.

Of course, as ever, it would be possible to construct a logical argument to prove otherwise, provided one were careful to select the appropriate premises and assert them, against all sceptics, to be self-evident.

[Elgarian]

I'd be really angry at all of this, it all being so totally wrong, except for the rich humor of it all. "Extensive notes" is pretty gigglesome, and I for one find it impossible to be angry whilst giggling.

You're on the right lines there, as usual. Nothing here to be angry with, but lots we can wink at.

[Karl Henning]

"I cannot demonstrate a damned thing about what I'm so sure about, but I can call my entirely subjective certainties 'observations'; that ought to silence my critics."

Well, you may have missed the earlier pronouncement that Sean just happens to be right all the time.  No fault to you, but if you had taken that note, you would understand just how unreliable our own understanding of music is.

Yes: best to just trust it all to Sean.

[Karl Henning]

We must discount this, of course, with the understanding that no listener other than Sean gives a musically and philosophically reliable response.  That understood, though . . .

The following glides back and forth between modality and fairly crunchy chromaticism;  and there were non-musicians in the audience who told me it was their favorite number on the program.

("Those benighted souls," one practically hears Sean sighing.)

http://www.youtube.com/v/xcGj8e6yw44

[some guy]

Hey, thanks for that, Karl!

I'd tell you what I thought of it, but the fifty-five years or so that I've been listening to classical music of all eras, including a few decades of performance and some theory classes and that conducting seminar with Herbert Blomstedt, was a total waste, obviously, because I get so much genuine pleasure from non-tonal musics.

Well, I say it's genuine....

Well, enough of poking fun at Sean. I need something a little more challenging. Hey, is that a baby I see over there? With a piece of candy??

Excellent.

[Sean]

All good stuff guys, bad publicity is the best.

[relm1]

We must discount this, of course, with the understanding that no listener other than Sean gives a musically and philosophically reliable response.  That understood, though . . .

The following glides back and forth between modality and fairly crunchy chromaticism;  and there were non-musicians in the audience who told me it was their favorite number on the program.

("Those benighted souls," one practically hears Sean sighing.)

http://www.youtube.com/v/xcGj8e6yw44

I would be mighty proud to have penned this work. 

[Karl Henning]

I would be mighty proud to have penned this work.

Very kind, thanks!

[Sean]

I'd comment but I'm in a Youtube-banned location.