[Harp-L] virtuosity and quality of music

["Harmonica Blu" <bluxpress@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've been away from the list for awhile and came back to some tidbits about
what kind of music is better. Classical? Jazz? Blues? Whatever makes you
feel good?
One of the few standards that really works for me, aside from personal
taste,  in judging the quality of music is longevity. In our Euro-American
culture we have things like Mozart, The Three B's and Tchaikovsky.They have
held on for one or two centuries. Other composers are in the shadows of
history. Then there are Satchmo and Ellington. They both started recording
in the first or second decade of the the last century and are still listened
to and are influencing musicians today. But my favorite examples are the
songs Summertime by Geo. Gershwin and Greensleeves by Anon. Simple tunes.
Simple lyrics. Beautiful tunes with lyrics that match so elegantly. They
haev lasted so long, IMHO, because of their inherent quality. (S. is not
quite a century yet, but it's probably been recorded about as much as any
other single modern song. Greensleeves is centuries old and still sounds
fresh, I think.)
So think back to those hit songs that you adored in your teen years and
revisit them from time to time. I suspect that some won't hold up after
awhile. Others will. That's quality.
Harmonica content? I have a CD of pre-WWII harp playing. Those folks could
hold their own today with the best in the same or evolved genres. Their
music is still eminently listenable. Quality.
Harmonica Blu
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