on the other hand

http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/ways-to-end-a-piece/

Phil Fried says:

September 8, 2011 at

Its been pointed out by others the compositional problem of placing too strong a cadence, that sounds final, into the beginning of a work. Strauss’s Zarathustra and Moussorgsky’s Boris for example. One tends to forget the rest of work. That said the question of time and music is an artistic one with many answers. I myself have ended a number of works in mid sentence as it were. That is neither with a final cadence or a fade out. I don’t think I’m the only one to have tried that.
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 http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/why-commemorative-concerts

• Phil Fried says:

  September 7, 2011 at

  One of the big changes to hit classical music over the last few decades has been its decline of social necessity. Commemorative concerts are one of the few things left to it.
  

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• Colin Holter says:

  September 7, 2011 at

  One of the big changes to hit classical music over the last few decades has been its decline of social necessity.
  True enough, but I always wonder if “social necessity” – that is, the perceived value of classical music to upward social mobility – is something we’re better off without. To me, it seems like the wrong reason to support classical music; were those people who used to get all minked up and hit the opera to see and be seen really likely to have what we’d call genuine aesthetic experiences?
  The less damning version of this phenomenon is the faded “eat your vegetables” character of classical music, according to which listening to classical music was generally agreed to be a Good Thing To Do. This kind of social necessity is easier to get behind (albeit less profitable!), but as a practice it’s equally short on self-reflection. In other words, I don’t know that I’d rather people attend classical music concerts out of more or less oblique peer pressure than not attend them at all. I could be convinced, though.
  

  
  
• Phil Fried says:

  September 8, 2011 at

  No Colin, not that social necessity. True though. If upwardly mobile know your visual art and film and food but classical music is optional. Rather the social need of the public to take part in the classical music community. That social necessity. It’s a public event that most folks feel is appropriate for classical music to to have an important part and they will attend said event.
  
  
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