I’ve been surprised with how many similarities are evident between the 1920s Paris we’ve been studying and the 2020s America today. Especially because of how little I understood European history in high school when I studied it, all the many kings and queens and empires, I found it hard to keep track of in my head. Now that there is a focus on the affairs of one country, and even more so on the social and political realms of one city, I’m finding it much easier to tie things together.
The first theme that we’ve been seeing a lot of in the first few weeks of class that rings true in modern times is that of rejecting the ideals and values of the past. In class we’ve seen this with Satie especially, among other composers. A reading that strikes me with this impression from the first few weeks is the “Lifestyle Modernism” reading from Richard Taruskin. A passage from this article reads:
“This (Satie’s music) was art deposed from its pedestal with a vengeance, now assuming a humble utilitarian role of lifestyle-enhancement. One senses a wish to exact penance for the romantic pretensions art had exhibited before the war, and for whatever it might have contributed to the grandiose thinking that had provoked and justified the bloodbath.” (Taruskin)
The way that Taruskin describes it here, it’s clear that Satie thinks of pre-war music as having embraced the wrong role in society, whether he thinks it was accidental or purposeful, he wants to move in the opposite direction, and reject the values that music used to hold.
In the same way, young Americans today are shunning the music of the last generation that embraces ideals that we no longer agree with. Values and topics such as civil and LGBTQ+ rights, which were not mentioned as much in the music of our past generation are becoming much more common and serious in music today.
So far in class, the topics have been a good level of challenging. Causing me to think critically, but not giving me headaches. One topic in particular that I am still confused about is hearing nationalism in music, and while I know going through this course more will help me with that, it’s still a difficult concept to wrap my head around.
-Will