Comments on: But You Can Call Me AssCock

By: jim

jim — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:36:57 +0000

Good blog.

Besides coming up with endings, there is nothing, absolutely nothing I find more soul-crushing than coming up with titles. I would pay good money if someone else would come up with titles for me. Every time I’ve thought I’ve come up with a good one, within no time I’m quite convinced it’s totally stinko.

By: Andrew Hackard

Andrew Hackard — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:54:34 +0000

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Coral,” really never worked for me. It’s just a lot of German singing and nothing at all that evokes diatomacious undersea format…

hmm?

with an H? really? where?

…

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Uh, never mind.

By: Mark S.

Mark S. — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:00:08 +0000

Symphony in Bb was an awful title.

there was maybe 5 measures in the key of Bb.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:10:02 +0000

Thanks for the shout-out!

In regard to the original essay, I’ve never considered calling a piece “Symphony No. 1″ – that, to me, is far more presumptuous than an evocative, poetic title. Which was why it was a big deal for me to call something “Concerto for Wind Ensemble.”

And I think you *should* write “My Father Knew Grover Washington, Jr.” That would be smooth.

I would go on, but that picture has fouled my brain.

By: Fosco!

Fosco! — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:45:48 +0000

Nice question!

Some other great Adams titles:
–On the Transmigration of Souls
–the “Hail Bop” movement from Century Rolls
–Naive and Sentimental Music
–Slonimsky’s Earbox

Other faves:
Frankenstein!! (HK Gruber)
Asyla (Ades)
100 Greatest Dance Hits (Kernis)
The Viola in my Life (Feldman)
Three Screaming Popes (Turnage)
Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Bryars)

Less favorites:
almost any title by Wuorinen (either too banal or too clever)
Why Patterns? (Feldman)
A Toltec Symphony (Glass) (oh, the multiculti pretension!)
almost any title by Arvo Part (they are entirely interchangeable)