Cambridge music students are being instructed to “decolonise the ear” and consider the classical canon as “an imperial phenomenon”.
The works of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi are being taught in relation to topics including European imperialism and Orientalism, as the music faculty pursues work on “curricular decolonisation”.
Undergraduates studying for the course, titled Decolonising the Ear, are taught to consider listening to sound in a “postcolonial” way, while a “music, power, empire” module explores how the classical repertoire is a middle-class and imperial phenomenon.
Rather famously Mozart had nowt to do with colonisation. As the German speaking world didn’t have anything to do with it until the 1880s or so.
Well, OK, there was quite a bit against Slave and Wends and all that, as East Prussia shows, but that’s not really what these folk mean by colonialism.
This is not unique to the Music department. I’m fairly sure even Maths and Physics have felt the cold, dead hand of the decolonizers across their courses!
I think although the composers themselves might have had nothing to do with colonialism because of when they were operating, the argument (such as it is) is that colonial movements used music and literature as well as curriculum design to implement an ‘imperialist/ neoliberal/ colonialist/ white supremacist (etc)’ vision (basically whatever ‘ism’ the left wing academic making the accusation has as a hobby horse)
Until such time as Extreme Left Wing beliefs of whatever stripe are treated as wholly unacceptable (and I think they have to be frankly) this kind of idiocy will continue to manifest itself…
There was an Emperor of Austria until 1918, Tim. He commissioned Die Entführung aus dem Serail from Mozart.
And By “He” I mean Joseph II. Mustn’t be pedantic early in the morning.
“Western man towers over the rest of the world in ways so large as to be almost inexpressible. It’s Western exploration, science, and conquest that have revealed the world to itself.
Other races feel like subjects of Western power long after colonialism, imperialism, and slavery have disappeared.
The charge of racism puzzles whites who feel not hostility, but only baffled good will, because they don’t grasp what it really means: humiliation.
The white man presents an image of superiority even when he isn’t conscious of it.
And, superiority excites envy.
Destroying white civilization is the inmost desire of the league of designated victims we call minorities.”
Joseph Sobran, April 1997
Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg Prussia tried to found a colonial empire. He bought some African ports off of the King of Denmark around 1685 and tried to get into the slave gold and ivory trades. The Prussians were frequently blockaded by the Dutch. The enterprise made huge losses and was abandoned a few years later.
Not sure if he had a court composer or not. His second wife Sophie Charlotte was an accomplished musician and had works dedicated to her by Corelli.
I think it makes JS Bach connected to the slave trade, by modern academic standards.
“that’s not really what these folk mean by colonialism.”
They don’t mean anything by it. It’s just a word that, like “racism” and “homophobia”, has no consistent referent and is used to shame dissenters.
““that’s not really what these folk mean by colonialism.”
They don’t mean anything by it.”
Oh, no they mean something, and what they mean is ‘get rid of all the whites’.
Pretty soon job applicants will be pretending to have spent 3 years at her majesty’s pleasure – anything to avoid admitting to going to a modern univarsity.
Mozart was white. Doesn’t that automatically make him a representative of colonialism? Grieg might have been a better example as the Vikings did try to settle Newfoundland.
“Other races feel like subjects of Western power long after colonialism, imperialism, and slavery have disappeared.”
East Asian races seem to do ok. The image that I have of them is of being of above average intelligence, of valuing education and of being driven and motivated to succeed. I’m generalising and stereotyping I know, but this does seem to be broadly true. They seem to like western classical music too. I have a Korean car and I really like it.
Stonyground, and they don’t seem to have a problem with regarding Western music and art as some of the peaks of human achievement.
I think we all know who does though…
Especially Mozart operas allow for “progressive” interpretations: In the “Entfuehrung aus dem Serail” the Islamist ruler (Selim) is the good guy, and in “Figaro” stron women stop a – in modern language – would-be Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby…
Douglas Murray is currently doing the podcast rounds to discuss his new book The War on West. He’s on really good form on the TRIGGERnometry podcast. Colonialism is just one of the topics.
Used to commute through a subway station where an old Chinese guy would play an erhu on the platform while you waited for the train.
There’s no getting accustomed to that mess of noise.
A self solving problem of diversity-
https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-05-02
The age of British imperialism was evil. The British Empire killed over 2 million in the Irish Potato famine. We killed over 100 million in famines, war and slavery.
But I do not think that good music should be punished for something had nothing to do with.
Colonialism punished Africa and Asia.
But the UK has done some good stuff like inventing, golf, soccer, rugby and defeating the NAZIs.
@CPoW
Ignored
@Jonathan, Stonyground
+1 I’ve said similar for years. The race baiting is based on envy, jealousy and embarrasment that white West achieved so much while they lounged about and improved nothing during hundreds, thousands of years
Jeez, we even gave Africa trains and other infrastuture, then when we left they let it rot. We taught them farming, we left and they abandonded them and returned to past
For decades we’ve been giving them clean water. It’s built, demonstrated, maintenance explained… We leave, a year later they’re back to past
I could go on, but I will leave it to astute Africans: ‘Stop helping us, we’ll never improve if you keep doing everything for us. Trade not Aid”
Thanks for the Dilbert reference Lurker!!!