Does anyone else think the classical music world is missing out by not having a Philharmonic Orchestra in Punxsutawney, PA?

On February 2, the orchestra can host their Gala event. If the conductor comes out on stage and doesn’t see his shadow, then he has predicted the early arrival of their spring program. If the conductor does see his shadow, it will be another 6 weeks of Vivaldi’s “L’inverno”.

I cannot feel my hands, yeah, yeah

It’s not in my head, it’s in the air

Sometimes I worry that I won’t make it out alive

But it’s all coming out hazy and changing me

I’m slipping through the cracks

I cannot find myself, yeah, yeah

It’s not a disguise, or a lie

My life is falling apart and my luck is turning sharp

and I am emerging safely and gracefully

I’m sifting through the grain

I cannot lift my legs, yeah, yeah

And I am turning proud, and loud

And traces of this moment are starting to be found again

But it’s all running out slowly and fading me

The sound is all I have left

I’m dreaming in circles again

The past was sure to be rough and disorderly

Growing like silence pretends

When it ends ill start the mend

My brain is itching for more

I’ve got a little left down on the broken floor

And when I’m through here, the memories will wash ashore

I’ll take a little drag from my twisted roots

And drink myself through the night

When it’s right, I’ll start the fight

I am waiting so patiently for what could come today

And it’s all turning up bright and changing me

Music theory courses are filled with rules. “You have to learn the rules to break them,” is what young composers are told when they hand-in homework assignments overflowing with parallel fifths and doubled leading tones. Those assignments inevitably come back with the words “What would Bach do?” tattooed across the manuscripts in bright red ink.

We like to compare our compositional output to Bach’s extensive collection of perfection, since he so obviously did things right. Everybody loves Bach, and who can blame them? A Counterpoint professor of mine would talk about Bach like he was an old bar buddy that he would drink with on Thursday afternoons. Another faculty member created special “What would Bach Do?” bumper stickers for all his students to be placed on their old beat-up jeeps, cello cases and Macbook Pros. The only thing left would have been to write-up tickets for those who carelessly broke the laws of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Bach created beautiful music, but music wouldn’t be an art without exploration and development. Sorry Bach, sometimes you have to break the rules. We modernized-Americans cheat on our diets, loiter in front of convenient stores, drive over the speed limit, and yes, occasionally omit the 3rd when harmonizing a chord.

We do need to formulate guidelines for good music based on what’s been done that works, in order to build a foundation for compositional practices. Guidelines are simply important for structure, and a good way to ground your approach to a piece. Thoughts and ideas, however, should never be bound by universal laws.