UEA Music Department to close

[MrGongGong]

Sadly I think this might be the first of many !

http://jsavage.org.uk/?p=2684

A particularly sad decision for those of us interested in contemporary music and sound art, UEA has long been a centre of excellence for interesting work in electroacoustics and more recently hardware hacking and experimental performance. Once these things are lost they will never be replaced , sad to see the studios where Denis Smalley created classic electroacoustic pieces such as "Tides" and "Pentes" closed.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A particularly sad decision for those of us interested in contemporary music and sound art, UEA has long been a centre of excellence for interesting work in electroacoustics and more recently hardware hacking and experimental performance. Once these things are lost they will never be replaced , sad to see the studios where Denis Smalley created classic electroacoustic pieces such as "Tides" and "Pentes" closed.

I, too, fear that "many" other Music Depts will follow, MrGG: but UEA isn't "the first". That shameful "distinction" went, IIRC, to Aberystwyth some years ago. Milton Babbitt's gloomy forecast at the end of his Words About Music lectures back in the mid-'80s are proving to be depressingly accurate.

[MrGongGong]

I had forgotten that one
and Exeter
and Dartington

[handsomefortune]

yep - the sheer irony of the motto to 'do different' in 2011..... !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwYW02nf6WM&feature=autoplay&list=AVGxdCwVVULXc7CDrEdfDgOisUYzaTQFtj&lf=list_related&playnext=3

not to mention threads about the current role of university vice chancellors; and also discussion about 'goings on' at the university of wales.

the first of many !

looking this way mrgonggong.

although i would argue whether the expression 'centre of excellence' is actually appropriate mrgonggong, since imv this expression is 21st c jibberish, often concealing negative, self destructive educational trends of late. that uea was once a forward thinking uni, of good reputation is indisputable though. (sorry to be pernickety)

the denis smalley tracks sound like 90s john peel digi playlist tracks, from somewhere remote, possibly in the states, or canada! yet apparently debuted on french radio in the 70s! same goes for this frenchman too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSKk...eature=related

always sad to hear of 'birthplaces' being knocked down though - so i hope one day uea really sorely regret trashing the studio ..... if one day universities finally should come to their senses...(currently unlikely).

[MrGongGong]

Smalley has been one of the UKs (ok he was born in New Zealand ) most influential electroacoustic composers and theorists (like Risset is in France)
his writings on spectromorphology have influenced many others in both academic and non-academic musical environments
this music is one of the things we do particularly well in the UK
sad to see this thrown away

[burning dog]

Is a centre of excellence related to "a profit center"? I fear only one of the latter will be eligible for being one of the former. in future.

[DracoM]

And the great work of Peter Aston with the UEA choir etc and his own composing. Wow! and I thought that under the Sainsbury banner, UEA was one of the better funded Arts-interested univs in the UK.

[MrGongGong]

And the great work of Peter Aston with the UEA choir etc and his own composing. Wow! and I thought that under the Sainsbury banner, UEA was one of the better funded Arts-interested univs in the UK.

it is/was

[teamsaint]

so are they saying music courses are too expensive to run?

[MrGongGong]

so are they saying music courses are too expensive to run?

i think its more like
Yes, they are expensive (music IS an expensive subject, it requires small groups and specialist equipment etc ) but the underlying trend is for educational institutions to focus on "vocational" type subjects and subjects that lead to employment. YES , I know MUSIC IS A VOCATION but that's NOT what the word has come to mean educationally. Added to this the Government has withdrawn funding for Humanities subjects so that for an institution to keep these subjects they will have to fund them through student fees or the institutions own funds. So I would expect to see more music departments, and possibly a conservertoire disappearing in the near future.

[Simon]

More money for places involved with real music, then?

[teamsaint]

More money for places involved with real music, then?

for example?

and did UEA do some kind of unreal music?
do tell.

[MrGongGong]

More money for places involved with real music, then?

and the award for stupid and ignorant comment of the week goes (yet again) to ...........................

[Chris Newman]

More money for places involved with real music, then?

?

[teamsaint]

perhaps simon would like to pose this question to someone from UEA who is going to lose their job.