Should there be some
kind of censure or penalty for someone who massacres art? Am I the only
one who considers such an act sacrilegious?
When an artist puts
heart and soul into creating a meaningful work of beauty, is that not a sacred
act?
If someone went into a
museum and painted mustaches over all of Vermeer's faces, Dégas' ballerinas,
Rosa Bonheur's horses, what do you think would happen? If someone tagged
the Pietà, what do you think would happen?
I ask because I have
just witnessed this being done with some of what I consider to be our most
beautiful Pagan songs. The music director (using the term loosely)
over-produced and “popified” these songs, altering the phrasing, and even
presuming to change the melody in places, all done with off-key and weak solos,
an out-of-sync chorus, and appalling synthetic keyboard masking as a
piano. To me, these changes were
done in service of ego, not to enhance the listener’s experience.
Does this not
disrespect the efforts of the artist?
Does it not disrespect the creative inspiration from the muses? Does this serve to honor the memory of
our ancestors and beloved dead? Is
such “reworking” worthy of our gods?
I think not. What say you?