Essay Page 7
 
 
rubbish. Then the authors of such travesties hide behind the "I'm ahead of my time" pretense. So even a person of education and taste is not going to be very interested.

Be glad, Chris, that you are independent and not in the pay of the universities. I should think it would be a very corrupting experience.

But I agree that I was being a little too gloomy. Composers like Messaien, Glass and quite a few others buck the academic trend. And you've written some damn good music. I think your music is really your best work.

Also, I didn't mean to sound gloomy.


I actually love a lot of the music that I hear in movies. It is the one area where you can still write original tonal music.


Music that is not just derivative, but fresh (so much for the "tonal music is dead; been there, done that" school of thought.)

Three movies (with good music) that I can think of off the top of my head: Nico the Unicorn, The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie, My Life So Far...All are family or coming of age-type movies.

Of course, it's a matter of personal taste. I can't say you'd like those particular movies or the music in them.

I agree with you that great art is not going to die. But it is certainly being challenged by an army of poseurs with academic positions and salaries.

And the ludicrous stuff that UCLA prof wrote (referred to