I think that it is

I think that it is a good time to start my periodic (I am not committing to any particular time period) analyses of art and music. We are getting ready to delve into some heavy duty aesthetics, and I think that the best way to get everyone up to speed is to take a piece of music or a painting and go over it with a fine tooth comb to discuss what makes it beautiful, where it works, where it fails, etc.

Recognizing that not everyone is ready to dig into the collected paintings of Robert Ryman or the music of Webern, I am going to select works that offer some challenge but not too insurmountable for the layman. In fact, the person with average interest in the arts is the target. I have to assume that experts already know a lot of this. So, if I am swerving into jargon holler and I will back up and clarify. Do not feel that it is your fault; as it is probably my own lack of clarity.

Please note that when dealing with philosophy, aesthetics, etc., I will be taking the Catholic position. If you want to explore it from some other frame of mind, holler and we can discuss it. The assumption, however, is always the acceptance of orthodox Catholic doctrine in its entirety.

I will not stick to any chronological ordering, as that is the main problem of the discussion of art history: the erroneous notion of progress. I also will not stick to purely Catholic art. We will discuss examples from all over space and time.

I am not intending this as a tutorial in basic music and art theory UNLESS you, my readers, want that. I am happy to spend a bit of time walking you through the nuts and bolts of music and art theory, but only if you want that. I would hate to write tutorials on these only to find that no one is reading them.

The format will be like this: I will post a piece for discussion. I will recommend a source for a score and a recording and will give you a week to investigate on your own. Then I will post my analysis, which will be historical, theoretical, and philosophical. It might get a little anthropological if I am in an ethnomusicological state of mind. I want these to be discussions, so PLEASE use the comments box liberally. If the discussions bear fruit, I may ask your permission to use your comments for future projects, but I will in no way do so without getting your permission first. I do not pretend to have all the answers to the many questions that will come up.

Before posting a first piece for discussion, I would like to see if anyone out there has a different idea on how to do this.

Grazie!