"Ninety-nine years ago, John Philip Sousa predicted that recordings would lead to the demise of music" (Ross). Sousa stated that the phonograph would "erode the finer instincts of the ear" (Ross). This would lead to the end of amateur playing and singing. However, it would also put professional musicians out of work. Sousa's prediction of music changing due to technology was completely right. Music has changed so much in the past hundred years. "Music has achieved onrushing omnipresence in our world: millions of hours of its history are available on disk; rivers of digital melody flow on the Internet; MP3 players with ten thousand songs can be tucked in a back pocket or purse" (Ross). Music is no longer what it used to be, "it has become a radically virtual medium, an art without a face" (Ross).
Works Cited:
Ross, John. “The New Yorker: The Record Effect.” www.newyorker.com. 6 Jun 2005. 5 Jun 2009
I like the way you carry the music theme through your blog postings. I can definitely see a theme here. George S.
ReplyDeleteI don't exactly agree that Sousa's quote is accurate. While "music without a face" has had a negative impact on the idea of a musician, and the process of experiencing live music, without music recordings many works would not have been as widely-known.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Mr. Sousa who say about the current state of erosion of the finer instincts of the ear. I have to agree with him on that point. The use of earphones, digital music of various quality, and systems (stereos, MP3 player, CDs, radio) all have added to the decline of the instincts of the ear. While live records can be made a true audiophile will tell you that high end equipment is needed to true "hear" the full spectrum of sound and even then nothing sounds like a live performance. Technology have continue to evolve from the phonograph, 8-tracks tape, cassette tape, CDs, to digital tracks. Yet I disagree with "This would lead to the end of amateur playing and singing." Amateur artists are now able to get their music heard by a larger audience increasing their fan base and hopefully attendance at their live shows. Advancements in technology have saved many older performances that would have otherwise been lost.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that someone who is an expert in their field would be so far off in their prediction. Maybe Sousa was considering that the recorded quality would be so inferior to experiencing live music that people would lose their appreciation for music. On the other hand, maybe he saw it as a threat to his livelihood.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting that the man Sousa predicts that music is dying. I don't think he’s right I don't that music is dying just that the original way people produce their music is dying. You don't have original song anymore when you have the technology we do because they can always change the song with computers and such.
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