Something that Has Always Perplexed Me

Carter's family was upper middle class, well-off but not rich. His parents were against his career choice and limited their support to $500/year. (Carter jokes that his poverty is visible in the condition of his teeth). Carter earned his living as a teacher, and not only of music, notably at St. John's College in Annapolis.

I think this phenomenon has a lot to do with the "Mozart Myth" you discussed a few months back. The model established in that myth is that the greatest composers are impressive from a young age, and our desire to live in a world populated by geniuses drives us to seek out impressive young composers and shower them with attention.

Exacerbating the problem is the fact that in pop music, which still retains may of the trappings its origins as the music of youth culture, demands that new stars be young. The only major middle aged pop musicians are the ones who managed to survive youthful stardom without burning out or becoming boring.

And our foolish belief in the fairness of the world leads us to suspect that it's impossible to discover great artists when they are middle aged because if they were truly great they would already have been discovered.

Altogether an unfortunate situation.

Isn't it really just a sad attempt to jump on the same bandwagon that subjects the world to emotionally immature soloists in their late teens and early twenties? Those people make money and news, but are incredibly uninteresting (for the most part) as musicians. Their compositional counterparts can't be any more prepared to present an articulated musical vision.

You hit home with this one!! You've caught me presently taking a look back in time at my Opus 1, my Sonata in D minor in 4 movements; composed at age 22. It's quite original and daring but very tonal in a Prokoviefesgue way! It was overlooked by my teachers(MSM) for being too derivitive, neo conservative and too lyrical!! They did not "see" the emerging composer before them. One could actually hum the themes. More recently I composed my first piano concerto 2002, a commissioned work btw, that is truly a "Third Stream Music". (Thank you Schuller). However, only I can see the connective compostional thread to my Opus 1. I don't have a monthly stipend from family fortunes to produce cds of my work. I did spend a few hard earned $$$ to release 9 cds over a span of 30 years. All of them I consider "Third Stream Music". Record execs hate that label because it demands customers who can THINK for themselves and not be bludgened to death with journalistic hype just to sell the artist(?)and of course convince the buyer that they're getting the real deal!! "Crossover" is the jive jargon of this past decade!!

I'll be 74 years young in 2 weeks(01/01/06),and have yet to be discovered by the classical world as a "serious" composer.. Being a jazz pianist of note doesn't help. Jazz musicians aren't serious composers to the classical record monguls. And I don't have an Angel except in Carol Lian a classical pianist, who has recorded my Opus 2( composed at age 25),"La-No-Tib Suite" in 3 movements w/improvisation, for the Unichrom label). Who will play/record my music for a major label? I have to do the premieres and recordings myself. Please,I'm not so naive to expect to make money from my recordings or to support my self and family nor do I expect record companies to pay me what I deserve for such recordings; think hours in the "Woodshed". They're in the business of making a profit for themselves. period. I know that. My recordings are my legacy.

I do think it's naivtee of the highest order to think that Carter doesn't "use' the family fortunes to record, promote, and have the free time to compose all day and night. His music for all its presence on the musical scene, does not connect to the heart of this listener. Who wants to think when listening to music? It should lift you up by your bootstraps into a higher leval of consciousness; ecstacy is a good descriptive word for that state.....It's a state that cannot be defined; you only know it when it "hits you".

I'm also sick of getting mailings from orchestras, societies, looking for scores for readings and then saying, were more interested in "Emerging" composers. Or ensembles looking to commission an "emerging" Composer. For God's sake I'm just emerging at 74!!!!!!!!

Where's the justice? Perhaps there's no answer in this greed driven world we live in.

May I close by saying there was one teacher, Hall Overton, the first, true "Third Streamer", who recognized me as a true composer and taught me for nothing for one full year because I did not have the bread for lessons. Hall went out of his way to help me get readings. Yes,I'm happy to be alive, married, 37 years to a musician, composing, playing and above all practicing in relative peaceful surroundings and to be able to freely speak my mind. Happy New Year.

Respectfully submitted,

Jack Reilly

What? And I've regarded you as a child prodigy ever since,"Can Ye Loan me Ten Pence!"