Georgia high school choruses reportedly not diverse enough to perform with Atlanta orchestra

FoxNews.com ^ | August 17, 2012 | FoxNews.com

[Islander7]

Not such a 'diverse' looking bunch the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

[Sirius Lee]

As a kid growing up in GA I listened to R&B (Augusta roots), southern rock (South GA/North Fl roots) and bluegrass (North GA roots)—music produced by the culture I grew up in. I deeply resented it every time I heard someone talk about the superiority of classical music (with its implied message that the music I listened to—the music my culture produced—was somehow inferior).

Well, on a purely musical basis, you can't seriously compare the organizational effort and intellectual acumen required to compose and perform a symphony to churning out 3 chord songs. I'm a producer and believe me, anybody and everybody can do the latter - I have shelves of masters of talented songwriters and performers that few will ever hear - people who would put Jim Croce, Billy Joel, Robert Johnson to shame.

But compose a symphony? There are maybe a handful of people in North America who can put one together. One of them, Theofinidas, ironically, practices a style of composing that has come to be known as the "Atlanta School".

[ABN 505]

I don't see a heck of alot of diversity whenever I am forced to interact with a Govt. agency be it state or federal. I think that if not for the Govt. most Blacks would not have jobs. I would like to know what percentage of Blacks work in Govt.as compared to the private sector. There is a small rural town next to where I live that has ZERO minorities in it yet the Post Office is run by a black woman who is not a resident of the town. Go to any federal building and try to get some information, 99% chance behind the counter is a overfed,under informed, English language killer,[are you axing me for form B36578?] semi literate minority behind the counter!

[Freep EE]

Walton High School Chorus singing at St Peters Basilica At the Vatican in Rome Italy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6HNJ4uidjw&list=UUQ1MTlt0ZK4-ukcwAxMh9Hw&index=5&feature=plcp

[Freep EE]

Walton and Lassiter outshine the ASO in this piece. Absolutely beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADpWcQHPnBM

[gibsosa]

Thank you for those links!!

[Freep EE]

You’re welcome. BTW my daughter is on the bottom left in the St Peters video

[littleharbour]

I expect that well over 95% of their donors are wealthy white people. Odd that they have no objection to receiving that “non-diverse” money.

[Mack the knife]

I recall one Symphony that was sued for discrimination because there weren’t enough black faces.

It turns out that ALL auditions were conducted behind a curtain so that the judges could not determine whether the applicant was white, black, male, or female.

They were told by the court to removed the curtain and take race and sex into account in their selection (i.e., “disparate impact” and all that).

[22cal]

Wonderful choir and they are singing and performing the offbeat clapping and stomping well in an (shockingly /sarc) Appalachian song.

[Melinda in TN]

I agree. I hate classical music and to me, Bluegrass, R&B, Gospel and Country music are real music. The only way I want to hear a violin is when it is used as a fiddle. LOL Banjos and fiddles are REAL music to my country mountain ears!

They opera and classical type music is just “rich white people” music to me and I’m white. Hate it!

[Brookhaven]

Composers like Josquin and Ockeghem were writing stunningly complex...

...the organizational effort and intellectual acumen required to compose and perform a symphony

Same error defenders of classical music always make: equating complexity with superiority.

In no other artistic endevour (painting, plays, poetry, writing) do we equate complexity with artistic superiority or sophistication. Yet, when it comes to music, we have one musical style--classical--that continues to try and make the case that because it is complex it is superior.

More complex is not more sophisticated.

More complex is not more artistic.

Complexity does not equate to superiority.

[Gay State Conservative]

Let me guess....21.2% of the chorus wasn’t “wiccan”? Or 18.9% weren’t “transgendered”?

[AnAmericanMother]

Depends on the level of complexity. And complexity does not equal superiority: but it's often a necessary prerequisite.

The reference was just shorthand on my part, for convenience's sake. Since you insist, let's drill into it a little bit.

Johannes Ockeghem expanded the range of the four-voice Burgundian Mass. Along with adjusting his extremely flexible rhythm (similar to melismatic chant) in passages for all voices to sing in identical (homophonic) rhythms, he varied the sonority by writing sections as trios or duets, omitting one or more parts. This was in line with current musical theory that derived all vertical sonorities from the primary intervallic relation between two voices. The harmonics themselves are similar to Gregorian chant - Grout describes them as "austerely modal".

Ockeghem used his canons as a display of technical virtuosity, with multiple concealed relations between the melody in the various voices - both retrograde and mensuration canons. For example, his "Missa prolationum" (Kyrie) employs double mensuration canons throughout, but at the same time is a glorious piece of music.

Also, give this a listen, especially with regard to the recapitulation and elaboration of the original theme in different voices and hands (and feet): this is a modern French organ composer, and this work was played at St. Patrick's for Pope BXVI's Papal Mass there: Henri Mulet, "Tu es Petrus" .

Complex AND gorgeous. That's what classical music is all about.

[Jay Redhawk]

We must remember that diversity includes, queers, cross-dressers, and other freaks of nature. These are musicians, and given those parameters I am sure the Atlanta symphony is very diverse. Maybe the two high schools did not seem queer enough to satisfy the Atlanta Symphony.

[Sirius Lee]

More complex is not more sophisticated.

so·phis·ti·cat·ed/səˈfistiˌkātid/ Adjective: (of a machine, system, or technique) Developed to a high degree of complexity. (of a person or their thoughts, reactions, and understanding) Aware of and able to interpret complex issues; subtle.

More complex is not more artistic.

Yes, it really is.

Complexity does not equate to superiority.

Yes, it really does.

But let us put aside the matter of complexity. From a purely aesthetic point of view, a Chopin Nocturne has a degree of refinement, beauty and emotional depth that I've yet to hear in any of the folk and rock musicians I've worked with, and I've worked with some of the best. A wise man once said "De gustibus non est disputandum." And so if you can take great pleasure in a John Lee Hooker song, as I do, well, God bless you, but comparing it to the likes of Chopin is like comparing an episode of "Moesha" to Macbeth. In other words, you'd have to be retarded - in the literal sense that you've never grown out of reading comic books and still giggle with bubble-mouthed delight whenever anybody jiggles a key ring in front of you.

[patriotsblood]

Let the ASO know how you feel:email is aso-info@woodruffcenter.org

I sent them this:Mr.Romanstein, my Dad and millions of other Americans fought in World War II to free the world of Hitler's murderous racism against the Jews. You, sir, are exhibiting exactly the same kind of racism in a pathetic attempt to be politically correct

[AnAmericanMother]

Sometimes it's hard to bridge the gap.

I love Sacred Harp music and I've participated in hymn sings since I was a kid. I also love bluegrass (and play bluegrass guitar, and sing it too).

But I love classical music as well. Some of it is hard to get to from where you are. Some of it, not so hard.

Try these and see if they don't speak to you:

Ralph Vaughn Williams, "Variations on Dives & Lazarus". You'll probably recognize the melody as the hymn tune "Kingsfold".

Frederick Delius, "Brigg Fair (an English rhapsody)". Give it til about 1:50 in, when the orchestra really gets going.

Hamilton Harty, "An Irish Symphony (Scherzo)"

Benjamin Britten, "Balulalow" (from "A Ceremony of Carols")

If you're seeing a theme here . . . all these works draw on the roots of 'mountainy' music, which was originally English, Scottish and Irish folk. "Dives & Lazarus", "Brigg Fair", and "Balulalow" are all well known folk songs (o.k., well known if you're a Francis James Child fan like I am) and Harty ran through a dozen Irish fiddle tunes in the Symphony (including "The girl I left behind me" and "The blackberry bush" in the Scherzo).

Give it a listen. It won't hurt much, you'll only waste a few minutes of your valuable time surfing FR . . . :-)

[Melinda in TN]

Those were kind of nice. I like folk music so I guess that is why. The closest I usually come to classical music is Josh Groban. LOL I love that man! I also like Celtic Women. They have a very unusual style. Sometimes my Scots ancestry comes out. My ancestor came here (the Appalachian mountains) from there (Scotland) in 1776.

[AnAmericanMother]

Mine came here from there too! We’re almost 100% Scots, Irish & English ancestry. One Scottish ancestor left the old country one jump ahead of the sheriff and changed his name when he got here. There is one German from the Shenandoah Valley who sneaked onto the family tree - she rejoiced in the name of Maria Magdalena Vogelsang.