I just read the review and while I think the criticism of the music seems
balanced and fair, and does praise Villon, the various comments about Pound
and others are filled with errors. From memory: calling Dante (1265-1321)
a 14th-century poet is OK I guess, but not Cavalcanti, who died in 1300.
The critic also apparently refers to a book entitled "Make it New" and to
Pound's collected critical essays called _Guide to Kulchur_. The various
other comments represent what one might call the stereotyped Pound. The
review would have been much better if the reviewer had just stuck to music.
But of late the NY Times has acquired a reputation for dubious
inventiveness.
Cheers,
Tim Redman
-----Original Message-----
From: - Ezra Pound discussion list of the University of Maine
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Daniel Pearlman
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 5:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: NY Times on Pound's music/Sun. 7-27-03
Thanks to Joe and Tim for the heads-up.
==Dan
At 04:41 PM 7/29/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>The link to the Times article contains a further link to a site that
>purports to give excerpts from the CD, www.otherminds.org
>
>Joe F
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Daniel Pearlman [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 4:26 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: NY Times on Pound's music/Sun. 7-27-03
>
>
>I wonder if the publisher of the CD could be persuaded to
>put some samples online. As to the review, whether the
>assessment of the music's quality is fair or not, I'm not
>one to judge--but at least no preconceived attitude toward
>Pound the person or poet seemed to creep into the article
>and skew its tone.
>==Dan P
>
>
>At 11:26 AM 7/29/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> >Did anyone have an opinion or comment about the review by Richard
> >Taruskin in the Sunday NY Times on the Music of Pound CD from Other
> >Minds?
> >
> >Charles Amirkhanian
> >
> >_________
> >
> >
> >Ezra Pound, Musical Crackpot
> >
> >July 27, 2003
> >
> >By RICHARD TARUSKIN
> >
> >
> >According to an old and highly unreliable story, Pablo
> >Picasso gave a few poems he had written to Gertrude Stein
> >for comment. In the middle of the night, he was roused
> >violently from sleep. It was Miss Stein, shaking him
> >furiously and shouting: "Pablo! Pablo! Get up and paint!"
> >
> >There are times when - listening to "Ego Scriptor
> >Cantilenae: The Music of Ezra Pound," a comprehensive
> >sampling of the poet's little-known musical output - one
> >wants to shout: "Pound! Pound! Write a poem!" More often,
> >though, one listens quite fascinated. Much of it is
> >strangely compelling, if eccentric, stuff.
> >
> >The career of no other artist, perhaps, so nakedly exposes
> >the fineness of the line dividing crackpot from genius.
> >Pound's crackpot theories of social, racial and economic
> >justice famously landed him in a mental hospital (the only
> >alternative to prison) after World War II. He loved playing
> >the fool, describing his aesthetic theories, the authentic
> >fruit of his genius, in a semiliterate patois familiar to
> >anyone who has read his letters or scanned the titles of
> >his essays (gathered, for example, in a volume called
> >"Guide to Kulchur"). And those theories drove him to
> >compose music despite a confessed inability - vouched for
> >by his fellow poets William Carlos Williams and W. B.
> >Yeats, among others - to carry a tune.
> >
> >etc.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/27/arts/music/27TARU.html?ex=1060433524&ei=1
>&en=9437ab8c98d2acfd
> >for entire article
>
>=====================================================
>Dan Pearlman's home page:
>http://pages.zdnet.com/danpearl/danpearlman/
>
>My new fiction collection, THE BEST-KNOWN MAN IN THE WORLD AND OTHER
>MISFITS, may be ordered online at http://www.aardwolfpress.com/
>"Perfectly-crafted gems": Jack Dann, Nebula & World Fantasy Award winner
>
>Director, Council for the Literature of the Fantastic:
>http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/
>
>OFFICE:
>Department of English
>University of Rhode Island
>Kingston, RI 02881
>Tel.: 401 874-4659
>Fax: (253) 681-8518
>email: [log in to unmask]
=====================================================
Dan Pearlman's home page:
http://pages.zdnet.com/danpearl/danpearlman/
My new fiction collection, THE BEST-KNOWN MAN IN THE WORLD AND OTHER
MISFITS, may be ordered online at http://www.aardwolfpress.com/
"Perfectly-crafted gems": Jack Dann, Nebula & World Fantasy Award winner
Director, Council for the Literature of the Fantastic:
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/
OFFICE:
Department of English
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 02881
Tel.: 401 874-4659
Fax: (253) 681-8518
email: [log in to unmask]
|
