If, by some twist of fate, only the first eleven chapters of the Book of Revelation had been preserved, the doctrines and dogmas of Christianity would still regard this text as a work of profound religious and spiritual significance. Yet it is in the full span of its twenty-two chapters that the true complexity and… Continue reading The Two Revelations
Category: Music
Notes on The Yellow Submarine Film (1)
Intro The Yellow Submarine film (link – pdf) tells us about a society in crisis, demoralized, and possibly “decadent” by their own standards. It traces the emergence, attempted assimilation, and ultimate success of the compensatory and highly idiosyncratic messianic surge in that milieu, whose main catalyst was the musical rock and roll/ballad band The Beatles.… Continue reading Notes on The Yellow Submarine Film (1)
Juscheld, Quixote: Metastructure or Vision
In this article I describe Juscheld’s view of the artistic work as visionary structure, particularly in the way an author’s stance and experience of the world structures his or her emotional life, which in turn shapes his or her work. I propose the term “metastructure” as a an approximate, mid-way concept of what the composer… Continue reading Juscheld, Quixote: Metastructure or Vision
Secular vs. Sacred, Popular vs. Cultist
The line between secular and sacred, popular and cultist (at times called classical) in music are diffuse the best of times. Certainly those who take this creative skill seriously, who may have the talent or enjoy the luxury to dedicate their lives to it, know better: none of us I guess would speak of inspiration… Continue reading Secular vs. Sacred, Popular vs. Cultist
Happy 200th Birthday Socialist Richard Wagner
An Introductory Note As I edit this article, in a world where the socialism that Richard Wagner fought for may have achieved gigantic global proportions, and perhaps should deserve a name more fitting to its real nature (since humanity seems now to be the enemy), I wonder what the revolutionary, some say “terrorist” genius that… Continue reading Happy 200th Birthday Socialist Richard Wagner