As I was walking to my BIO class yesterday I ran into Eric Lapin, my Music History teacher from last semester. I hope to take more of his classes. He’s a really cool guy with a passion for a very wide range of music, and he has the heart of a teacher. I don’t know his story but he obviously loves sharing his passion with others and he seemed fascinated by his students. He’s damned good at what he does.

I was surprised at something witnessed near the end of the semester. During the semester the students shook their heads and chuckled at the closed-minded response to innovation by people throughout history. The perceived threat and moral decay caused by polyphony. Or secular music. Or harmony. It seemed silly that ‘The Rite of Spring’ would cause a riot.

“What the hell is this noise!?”
“It is wonderful!”
“This is horrible!”
“Ssshhhh!!”
“Don’t shush me! This is ripoff!”
“Would you kindly shut up! We’re trying to listen.”
“Don’t blame us. There’s nothing to listen to! All that racket and noise is coming from the stage!”
“If you don’t like it then leave! It is brilliant!”
“Why don’t you make us leave!”
BAM! Riot.

So the students understood how ridiculous it is to condemn artistic expression… as long as the students could understand it. Then near the end, after weeks of studying the evolution of music and the resistance to it, we arrived at composers like John Cage, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Charles Ives, and Henry Cowell. Suddenly the students were limiting what was considered music. One grew very angry at the way John Cage had “abused” the piano. “That is not how you treat a piano!”

It is frustrating to watch people ridicule others for the same weakness they have within themselves. I suppose I’d better get used to it considering my future in counseling.

Eric Lapin shared this video during the section on the Baroque Era. It is a great demonstration of part of why I love a lot of Bach’s music.