Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Another repost from long ago…(with some minor edits)
Nihilism In Art And Life
I dare suggest that a love of artistic beauty coincides with a preference for harmony in civil affairs
I really like classical music from the latter half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Innovative minds in this period took composition to new levels of beauty and pathos. An equal respect for both harmony and dissonance mimicked such tensions in life itself. An intelligent construction of sound portrayed the Taoist dance of opposites in conflict and reconciliation. Something one might call “bitter sweet” can be heard in the music of Mahler, Shostakovich, and Hindemith et al.
By the 1960’s, other more abrasive musical goals culminated in the utter chaos and cacophony of pure dissonance. One can hear such screeching howls in the works of Karl Heinz Stockhausen as well as other “experimental” writers of music. It’s probably no coincidence that Stockhausen described the 9/11 murder of innocents as “great art.” Such is the mindset that undermines repose and praises chaos and destruction.
There are a lot of intellectual arguments that can be made for why one may consider chaotic music to be great. Such composition is certainly unique, perhaps even witty – but it’s not beautiful. One certainly must be intelligent to even write musical noise, just as many "scholars" devote praise to "revolutionary" violence and destruction.
During the same period of music history that edgy mind-noise came of age, other composers reacted in numerous schools of neo~ (i.e. Classicism, Romanticism).
The symphonies of Howard Hanson clearly respect the value of well-placed disharmony, yet their general mood is one of beauty.
I’m not going to make the pedestrian claim that Hanson’s music is “better” than Stockhausen’s or, in the visual arts, that Rembrandt’s soul-inquiries are better then Andy Warhol’s pop vision (though personally, I believe this to be the case).
In the social sphere of the time span I’ve been addressing, a similar reckless nihilism arose, also culminating in the 1960’s. “Down with 'the system',” became the mere social equivalent of the screeching aleatory whines of atonal music. In music and political philosophy, the intellectuals marveled at such contrived heresies (and, vicariously, marveled at their own self-importance).
The nihilist hates beauty. Harmony, stability, and grandeur are the enemies of any angry pseudo-rebel. “Fighting against oppression” is a mere incidental contrivance to justify the true cause of mock “revolution” -- wanton destruction.
Thinkers like Carl Jung have accurately (I think) noted that one can extrapolate basic concepts in physics into the psychological/social sphere. We can see this in the the concept of entropy. There are political systems that seek to further the cause of chaos and energy depletion, something “they” call “revolution” or revolution-lite (“social change”). In polarity to this are the forces of maintenance that seek to preserve and maintain stability. Extremes of either will steer a civilization into territory with negative repercussions to citizens. Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson also speaks extensively on the issue of chaos and order in context to a Taoist appraisal of life.
I really like classical music from the latter half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Innovative minds in this period took composition to new levels of beauty and pathos. An equal respect for both harmony and dissonance mimicked such tensions in life itself. An intelligent construction of sound portrayed the Taoist dance of opposites in conflict and reconciliation. Something one might call “bitter sweet” can be heard in the music of Mahler, Shostakovich, and Hindemith et al.
By the 1960’s, other more abrasive musical goals culminated in the utter chaos and cacophony of pure dissonance. One can hear such screeching howls in the works of Karl Heinz Stockhausen as well as other “experimental” writers of music. It’s probably no coincidence that Stockhausen described the 9/11 murder of innocents as “great art.” Such is the mindset that undermines repose and praises chaos and destruction.
There are a lot of intellectual arguments that can be made for why one may consider chaotic music to be great. Such composition is certainly unique, perhaps even witty – but it’s not beautiful. One certainly must be intelligent to even write musical noise, just as many "scholars" devote praise to "revolutionary" violence and destruction.
During the same period of music history that edgy mind-noise came of age, other composers reacted in numerous schools of neo~ (i.e. Classicism, Romanticism).
The symphonies of Howard Hanson clearly respect the value of well-placed disharmony, yet their general mood is one of beauty.
I’m not going to make the pedestrian claim that Hanson’s music is “better” than Stockhausen’s or, in the visual arts, that Rembrandt’s soul-inquiries are better then Andy Warhol’s pop vision (though personally, I believe this to be the case).
In the social sphere of the time span I’ve been addressing, a similar reckless nihilism arose, also culminating in the 1960’s. “Down with 'the system',” became the mere social equivalent of the screeching aleatory whines of atonal music. In music and political philosophy, the intellectuals marveled at such contrived heresies (and, vicariously, marveled at their own self-importance).
The nihilist hates beauty. Harmony, stability, and grandeur are the enemies of any angry pseudo-rebel. “Fighting against oppression” is a mere incidental contrivance to justify the true cause of mock “revolution” -- wanton destruction.
Thinkers like Carl Jung have accurately (I think) noted that one can extrapolate basic concepts in physics into the psychological/social sphere. We can see this in the the concept of entropy. There are political systems that seek to further the cause of chaos and energy depletion, something “they” call “revolution” or revolution-lite (“social change”). In polarity to this are the forces of maintenance that seek to preserve and maintain stability. Extremes of either will steer a civilization into territory with negative repercussions to citizens. Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson also speaks extensively on the issue of chaos and order in context to a Taoist appraisal of life.
We live in a time where an “anything goes” mentality continually pushes the boundaries of sane living to incorporate every niche of absurdity. It should be no surprise when concerned parents want to see their progeny benefit from a societal order (no pun intended) that pursues an organized path to stability and prosperity.
The current collapse of order in politics can be seen in tandem with an emerging AI revolution. A new worldview is being born that requires and seeks the destruction of the old order. As each side entrenches it’s position the border between chaos and order becomes agitated and we’re compelled to go along for the ride. Meanwhile opportunist parasites like the World Economic Forum and its minions seek to steer the momentum to their favor in their own personal will to power.
The arts are only one facet of civilization where chaos and order go to battle and they can often be invigorated by the changes which occur in the storm. It all makes for an entertaining tableau but for sane people with families and a moral compass there is just cause in clinging to an old order less devoted to wanton destruction.
Whether the raised fist of Marxist “anarchists” or the raised screech of un-tuned violins, nihilism in art and life offers nothing to souls who seek solace in beauty. They're both just noise in the end.
A problem with musicians, artists, and entertainers is that some are good at what they do and think it somehow qualifies them as experts in completely unrelated fields; like domestic and international political policy.
"Fight the powers that be" -- then collect a check from them for singing about it...
