Well, Easside Percussion is performing at SUNY Purchase on their "Contemporary Music Series". When I e-mailed Christine Bard (member of Easside) she first asked me if we played "Contemporary Music". I answered that perhaps we were post-contemporary and she followed that up with "what is the criteria for post-contemporary?"

When I was a very young percussionist everyone called the music that we were playing "Contemporary Music".  I was very involved in performing the music of Elliot Carter, Charles Wuorinen, Milton Babbit etc. etc. I always wondered why this music was called contemporary. It made some sense at the time because it was a form of new music but I always had a problem with this and it was never really clear what exactly contemporary music was. The following is the e-mail response that I wrote to Christine.

ps the dictionary says existing or occuring at the same time or something that exists in the present.

I googled contemporary music and came up with a center for new Irish Music and The Academy of Contemporary Music in Europe which is Europe's leading school for Rock and Pop musicians. Then there was the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College which says that they are at the forefront of developments emphasizing experimental methods in contemporary music which is actually almost contradictory in musical terms because Michael Nyman clearly defines contemporary music and experimental music in very different musical terms in his book "Experimental Music Cage and Beyond" so you figure it out. I always thought Contemporary Music meant the American school of academic serial and twelve tone composers on the east coast.  A lot of that music is now old so it can't possibly be contemporary. Then again who am I to say.

6:58:18 PM    comment []