I happen to be a fan of both bluegrass and 19th century classical music. If you think about it for a minute, you’d probably agree that change in these genres is mostly incremental. And yet, new music in bluegrass is exciting and new interpretations of classical standards are welcome.
At the same time, there are some artists who have created new sonic worlds. Philosophically, I don’t see this as “better” than incrementalism, but I do see it as healthy. And I think that health sometime extends to the listener who, when exposed to a new sonic world, is encouraged to examine assumptions and perhaps train his or her ear to savor the new.
I remember when I went to hear The Philip Glass Ensemble in London for the first time. My wife and I turned to each other about 10 seconds into the performance, mouths agape. We were experiencing a new sonic world.
But, partially for fun, which artists have been responsible for new sonic worlds? This is not just an intellectual exercise, but in my view attempting an answer and sharing it can lead each of us to discover new artists and new works that may be treasured for life.
Here is an interesting casual list of artists fomenting new worlds, created by Tyler Cowen, polymath (assisted by his readers in comments).
Enjoy!
By Tom Martin
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