AVA125: I Hate Most Modern Organ Music
b'This question was sent by Peter. He writes:\\n\\n\\u201cMy challenges are lack of time, and spending/wasting time on other things(!) i.e. lack of willpower. And I think I need to improve my sight-reading if I am going to improve my overall organ-playing. Also, I hate most \'modern\' organ-music.\\n\\nOn this subject,it might be interesting if you could explain, in one of your blogs, what anybody \'sees\' in sour-sounding, discordant \'modern\' music. You know the kind I mean - where you are not sure if the player is making lots of wrong notes, or is this what it is supposed to sound like?\\n\\nMany highly competent professionals like this kind of music, but why? One such person said to me, "It\'s probably more satisfying to play than to listen to." In that case, why play it to an audience? Another said, "Well, I like it, and I\'m going to play what I like." (He meant in a recital.)\\n\\nIs it any wonder that the organ is right at the bottom of the pile, in popularity, with the general public?\\n\\nWhere I live, if we get an audience of 40 to a recital, that\'s very good. Usually, it\'s 20 or under. The idea is dying on its feet and a lot of it has to do with the kind of music people play, as well as the way in which they play it. (There\'s another topic for discussion - how is it that some people can play all their pieces absolutely accurately, and the performance is dull and boring, and someone else plays with a few mistakes, but it\'s exciting and attractive? \'Music\' certainly is fascinating, as a subject.)\\n\\nI think you may agree with me that, the basic \'purpose\' of music - any music - is to create emotion in the mind of the listener. But if that emotion is one of irritation, annoyance and unpleasantness, why would anyone want to repeat the experience? It makes no sense.\\u201d'