Editorial
Tea with the Soloist - Jonathan Storey
Graduation - A Day to Remember
Celebrating Charles Ives
Musings on Music Journalism
Go On... Try Something New
Brendan Duffy at the Black Swan
Definitive Saxes is Coming!
'We Are One' : The Music of Obama's Inauguration
2009: Composer Anniversaries
Robert Burns at 250
Where are they now?
The new Classical Chart
These are a few of my favourite things - Catherine Duncan
Something from Guy!
Ornamentation and Improvisation Workshop with Pamela Thorby
Daphnis: First of a Kind
Pringle Jingle!
The Importance of Western Popular Music in the Redevelopment of Cambodia
Arvo Pärt's Fratres
Operagasmic
Contemporary Analysis for Humans
The YUMU team
Music Department Home
Olivia Haughton
We are now well into the twenty-first century and are surrounded by an ever-developing technological world, bustling with bright lights and noise. Life is fast paced and brings with it constant stimulation. Many things shift and change, but one aspect of life remains the same: the power of the written word. To borrow the words of Michelle P. Brown, Professor of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the University of London: ‘The human perception of the need to transmit a body of knowledge or information across time and space has been the secret of writing’s success.’1 It is precisely this desire to document and inform that drives the journalistic spirit. Music provides the perfect complement to this medium.
In writing for an audience of music students and staff, I think I can safely assume that we all share a passion for music in one form or another. I’d also be so bold as to say that journalistic writing has influenced your thoughts on music on a least one occasion; be it in the form of a review, preview, or a more exploratory feature. Music itself is incredibly powerful, and in some cases has the ability to alter our perceptions. However, it is often through a journalistic platform that word spreads; it is a medium for promotion with, one would hope, some intellectual substance. Through this type of documentation of articles we are able to delve into historical mindsets and create a fuller picture of contemporary reception. Take for example, the seminal first performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. On the opening night in 1913, Paris was in uproar and the press were up in arms, describing the music as ‘weighty, metallic masses … contours are become grim, severe, angular … chords are uncouth, square clusters of notes.’2 There is no doubt that the way in which this introduction was portrayed by the media influenced the approach to Stravinsky’s music that people subsequently took.
Matt Brennan, in his thesis on Down Beats and The Rolling Stones, explains that, ‘Historians have routinely relied on the music press to get a sense of how musical and cultural events were covered in print media as they were unfolding.’ He goes on to argue that journalists are ‘writing music history as it happens.’3 However, I believe that not only can we record history, but we can also create it. From concert review to CD preview, every published piece can generate a shift by guiding and expanding the readers’ musical horizons. Written by a respected author or from a respected source, high profile music journalism can alter public opinion and tastes. Taking this idea one step further, I believe that journalism - reviews in particular - can affect the way a musician might present their performance and potentially even alter the direction in which they take their music. By the same token it can be a means of communicating public approval for the artist. Simon Roth, co-founder of ‘Music in Odd Places’ and member of several bands agrees, saying that ‘a positive review is like an ego massage, but if it’s negative and I feel the comment is musically justified then I’d probably take notice. But this hasn’t happened yet!’ This reminds me that journalistic articles are not always written by someone with great knowledge of the area of music they may be reviewing. However, an awareness of the fact that the uninformed reviewer tends to represent the view of the general public, gives the musician great power to attract new audiences. However, this marketability differs greatly from the type of music which seeks niche audiences and therefore usually requires a musically educated journalist.
These two opposing types of music journalism both have qualities of approachability and accessibility. They cater for their different readerships and in doing so make available a vast array of thoughts on music and its many aspects. The expression of thoughts is, after all, the only means we have of developing, and so is crucial to the future of music and musicians. This is becoming more and more evident with the rise of the internet blog and our ability to comment on website articles. The future of journalism seems intent on some form of interactivity that sees your average Joe Bloggs able to contribute to the media on a global scale simply by pressing a button. I can’t help but wonder what direction this means of broadcasting will have on future music.
1. Brown, Michelle P. The British Library Guide to Writing & Scripts: History and Techniques, 7.
2. H.G. ’The Musician’s Bookshelf’, The Musical Times, Vol.63, No.951 (May 1922), 331. Accessed at JSTOR.
3. Brennan, Matthew. ‘Down Beats & Rolling Stones’. PhD Thesis. Accessed at