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Articles by Dean Suzuki

View From the West: Roger Woodward—A Stranger in a Strange Land
December 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

The university where I teach, San Francisco State University, is like so many state universities across the nation. The mission of the university is to educate a very large …

View From the West: Beating Up on Drum Machines
November 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

I hate drum machines.
This is purely subjective and I’m sure that there are many whose opinions on the matter, pro and con, are intense and inflamed, but I, for …

View From the West: How Do We Judge New Music?
October 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

In a way, I will be preaching to the choir in this column. On the other hand, the point raised is one worth considering or, perhaps more accurately, reconsidering.
That …

A View from the West: Invented Instruments—Paul Dresher’s Sound Stage
September 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

Last month I offered a broad survey of sound sculptures, invented instruments, their creators, and role in modern music. In this column, I will take a closer look at …

View From the West: Experimental Instruments and Sound Sculpture
August 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

Newly invented instruments offer a world of possibilities to composers. There may be a limited number of possibilities in terms of sound production (percussion, vibrating strings, or columns of …

View from the West: New Venues for New Music
July 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

As we all know, some styles of new music, including minimalism and post-minimalism, rock, and jazz-inflected styles, appeal to a cross-over audience, yet producers, promoters, and performers, for the …

View from the West: Improvise? What Do You Mean I Have to Improvise?
June 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

What happened to the practice of improvisation? It had been, to varying degrees, an integral part of the Western classical tradition for centuries, but sometime in the 19th …

View from the West: Hey! Lighten Up!
May 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

Why is it that humor seems to be absent in the contemporary arts, including music? Art can be political, if not politically correct. It can wax philosophic. …

View from the West: Sacred Music Anyone?
April 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

In recent years, there has been a tiny revival of sacred music, though not necessarily liturgical music. Yet composers today, for the most part, continue to ignore a genre …

View from the West: The Decline of Radio
March 1, 2002 / By

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

No matter how you slice it, new music is a tough sell. Composers young and old have a difficult time getting commissions and having their works performed. With …