Boston University’s College of Fine Arts presented ‘New Music and its Public,’ a symposium held Saturday to honor the work of CFA faculty member Lukas Foss in celebration of his 80th birthday.
In addition to recognizing the achievements of Foss, who previously studied under composer Aaron Copeland, the symposium focused on the problems of finding a target audiences in ‘new music,’ which was defined by the panel as music that has never been heard before by the listener.
‘Lukas Foss has been a composer for a very long time, but unlike Aaron Copeland or Leonard Bernstein, he’s never really had a bestseller,’ said Elly Muller, director of public relations for CFA.
The symposium featured several speakers, including Foss. Other speakers came from various Boston-area schools, including Tufts University and Harvard University.
CFA professor Theodore Antoniou praised Foss as ‘a great human being and colleague,’ and deemed him a musical genius.
‘Lukas Foss was a child prodigy who never stopped proposing ideas,’ Antoniou said. ”New music’ owes a lot to Lukas.’
Leon Kirchner, composer and professor emeritus at Harvard, spoke of the events that led to his friendship with Foss.
‘I watched him perform in Carnegie, and I heard a man in front of me who turned out to be Leonard Bernstein keep exclaiming, ‘He’s just like me! He’s just like me!’ Kirchner said.
Kirchner also likened Foss to the Greek messenger god Hermes.
‘Lukas is a herald, too, because he brings a new kind of music,’ Kirchner said. ‘This century is terrifying, in that more people have been slaughtered and killed than in any other century. During that time, there was a hostility toward art, but in all Lukas’ work, there is no negativity. There is just beauty.’
On the other hand, John Daverio, professor and chair of the musicology department at BU, discussed the idea of considering an audience while composing.
‘The primary function [of music] may not have to do with an audience,’ he said, noting that most music written for an audience is no longer familiar to modern listeners, while works that do not have a specific audience are well-known today.
The panel then answered questions from the audience following the speeches.
Foss said while the composer may have an audience in mind, the most important critic is the composer himself.
‘Music that draws on many different styles is music that listeners are more apt to want to hear again,’ Foss said.
CFA sophomore Erin Mich said she found herself with many of the same beliefs as Foss, but disagreed with his beliefs on ‘New Music.’
‘I agree with almost everything [Foss] said,’ Mich said. ‘The one thing I differ on is the definition of ‘new music’. There are other terms to better define it than [hearing it for the first time].’
Regarding Foss, Mich said she had previously heard of his musical talent.
‘I’ve heard he has the musical virtuosity of Mozart,’ she said. ‘I really regret that I haven’t been able to go to any of the other events that he has been doing this semester.’
