Famous Composers and Artists

A Good Friend of Mine Asks This Question:

"I began wondering why its important to "know" Beethoven and Degas, and what it means that a culture elevates A Musician or A Painter, when that was not necessarily the case before. Anyway, at root I'm trying to apply my suspicions about capitalism to other manifestations of our culture since the fall of the European Catholic culture after the 13th century."

My first advice is: get to know these men and their works inside and out. They were great artists in their respective fields, so that should be reason enough. Even if you still dislike what they did, they did it well so "give the devil his due." The second thing I would point out is that much of the early artistic work in Western Civilization was not only religious but liturgical. There is a long tradition of artistic anonymity when it comes to such things. It just never would have occurred to the composer of the Introit for the 8th Sunday after Pentecost to inscribe it, "composed by Johannes Planctus, for my parents." They just didn't think that way. There are, however, traditions that have grains of truth of varing size, ascribing even liturgical music to some individuals: St. Gregory the Great (Gregorian Chant), St. Ambrose has hymns ascribed to him, then there is Romanos the Melodist in the East. By the 12th century you have the polyphony of Leonin and Perotin of the Notre Dame School of composition - although they don't sign their works, it is the eager English undergraduate, 'Anonymous 4,' who writes about them. (They had their following amongst their contemporaries - or at least their student admirers. "Aren't Leonin and Perotin cool, the cat's pajamas, rad, etc.")

We can continue, of course after the 13th century, but in fully Catholic cultures there are known famous liturgical composers such as Josquin des Prez, Victoria, Palestrina, William Byrd, etc. Then of course before that there were the secular Medieval troubadours, trouveres, and minnesingers - all known by name and this was 12th-13th centuries. My favorite is the German Minnesinger known as "Frauenlob" (his real name was Heinrich von Meissen) which means "praise of ladies." Actually I think this was tied into courtly love (with Marian overtones), but the name makes me laugh because it conjures up an image of an early day wearer of leisure suits who goes to singles bars in order to 'praise ladies.' "But you have such beautiful eyes." "Yeah buddy, I've heard that line before. Move along."

Frauenlob, the 13th century ladies man.

Anyway, my point is this. Though certainly there is an intensification of "great individuals" at about the time of Beethoven and this can be tied into capitalism in some ways, Western culture had these tendencies from early on. Once you get away from purely ritual music and folk music (both performer based) even though there may be 'traditions ascribing a melody to someone' - remember outside the West this is what 'music' is, it is something that 'performers do' with communally owned 'found objects' known as melodies, ragas, etc. - once you give major control of music to an individual known as a 'composer' ("no you must play this chord in measure 9." "Why? because I am the composer and 'wrote' it that way." Exacting music notation is another Western invention) then the jig is up. There will be a focus on various great individuals who created the music in exacting detail all by their lonesome.

Composers. A unique phenomenon that emerges in the West long before Industrial capitalism and really about the beginning of the Second Millenium.

Those are my off the cuff thoughts. What do you think?