Died in the Temple, Born in the Tavern (Music Notes)

Author: Jia Xiaowei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Music gives us a chance to achieve harmony, creating a striking contrast with the bustling urban scenes we navigate on the streets.
1. Classical music has long been in crisis. The British author Lebrecht, in his book Who Killed Classical Music, pointed out the murder of classical music by commercial interests. This is only one aspect of the problem. The core of the crisis lies in the fact that classical music is a product of the spiritual era, and it is difficult to move gracefully in an age without faith. The experience of listening tells us that the world of classical music is severely out of sync with the world we inhabit today. This misalignment makes listening feel awkward. Once hesitation cannot be easily erased, listening is cast in shadow. The fate of classical music naturally falls upon the listeners, a fate that must be borne.
2. Every article in this book carries a sense of crisis, stemming from contemporary reflections on classical music. The music is interpreted comparatively in terms of versions, and personal feelings about listening are intertwined with academic introductions to the music, no longer offering reassurance. I deliberately avoided the places where I wanted to speak, finding myself in a deep chasm formed by the rupture of time and space. The historical awareness I had to possess allowed me to view the descent of classical music from the altar with a measure of calm.
3. Whether classical music is "revived or dead" touches upon many directions and aspects of contemporary music culture. The oppression within and outside music pushes the walls of concert halls thin and easily pushed aside. The seats at concerts no longer faithfully serve listening.
4. In the articles, I do not want to say what music is, but rather what it can be in the present. Every musical topic connects to a broader space, rather than being isolated points.
5. In Valéry's poem The Disappearing Wine, life is compared to wine, a liquid that offers a ritual of emptiness. The wine is cast into the sea, intoxicating the waves, and the poet gains a profound appearance. Classical music is the wine, and the liquid has already been poured into the sea. The intensify the meaning of the wine. For the sake of the wine, it is worth possessing the entire sea.