[NewMusic] What David Cope is up to

[Matthew Goodheart]

Barry wrote:

> I'm very interested in Mr. Cremaschi's reaction to all of this. It is
> not an uncommon one. Part of the reason I get so into these types of
> conversations (besides the fact that it is basically my life) is
> because there seems to be a presumption that works made with the aid
> of higher technology are somehow anti-human, unfeeling, or not as
> legitimate as works made without it


I think you are misunderstanding what George is saying. Rather than  
being about some neo-luddite anxiety, it is rather about is "art" and  
its relationship to power. . .  in a way its what some call the priest  
and the prophet split, although from what I understand about what you  
are saying, I would label it as merchant/artisan rather than priest,  
since you are defending an economic order rather than a stylistic  
tradition.

Music for computer games can be well done and "artistic," but it has  
very strict functional boundaries: to support the "story" of the game,  
which in turn was created to engage the player in an entertaining way  
to keep him/her playing the game, which either through purchase or  
online gaming fees, etc. make money for the stockholders in the  
company.  In short,  it is a commodity first and foremost, and any  
"artistic" merits are secondary. Therefore, the aesthetic and  
intentional possibilities are severely limited by its purpose. A  
composer in these circumstances is a craftsperson above all else.  
(This is, in fact, the most traditional roles for musicians; servitors  
of the power structure, whether it be church, king, or corporation.)  
Viewed from this perspective, if one considers the power structure  
itself to be corrupt, then the music by default must be corrupt, no  
matter how creative or clever it is in its "recuperation" of  
previously prophetic forms, since it primarily functions to strengthen  
those it ultimately serves.   Considering that the game industry has  
huge budgets (my friend who works for Sony said their budget for  
"Dragon Rider" was $40 million), clearly economic considerations are  
primary since the capital investment is huge; it will take no real  
risk, all the while selling the image of challenge.

Folks who are drawn toward the "prophetic" side find validity in forms  
where the need for expression is primary, and any "commodity" vehicles  
it ultimately uses are secondary considerations.  And frequently,  
these forms challenge and decry the artisan/merchant or priestly forms  
as being corrupt. While this is a rather contemporary (late romantic,  
early modernist) conception of the role of art, the cultural roles are  
not.

I think these are the tensions in the conversation, rather than  
whether technology is capable of transmitting emotion. From what I  
know of George, he has no problem with technology; (he's a big fan of  
Xenakis computer generated pieces, for example).  Rather, I think his  
problem has to do with the fundamental assumptions and genesis of the  
genre itself, what it is purposed toward, which is ultimately  
corporate profits. Secondly, the results of any technological  
developments in the seeking of those profits can easily be exploited  
toward the further consolidation of corporate power by cross-purposing  
that technology toward use in political power, which therefor protects  
their abilities to continue to create huge profits through  
externalities, suppression of wages, etc.  When George writes of  
"robots," I don't think he means "unfeeling technology" but rather  
people eagerly doing the bidding of corporations, all the while  
thinking themselves "individuals."  Looked at from the darkest  
perspective, the function of this "computer game art" is to distract  
the "consumer" with clever spectacle, take their money,  and insulate  
them from any truly challenging forms of independent thought or  
experience, ultimately undermining their power in the political arena  
while the selling them the image of the reverse.

The best example I can think of is: http://www.dewmocracy.com/


mg





Matthew Goodheart
composer ~ improviser ~ pianist
matthew at matthewgoodheart.com
http://matthewgoodheart.com