philechat

Actually I know it. His religious beliefs are strikingly similar to Wagner's, if you know what I meant. Both of them advocate art as an alternative of religion and a means of understanding "the truth". Wagnerism was more rampant at Mahler's time than what we can really imagine now...

Most of the great religious works composed in the 19th century were not written by Christians. We got Berlioz, Wagner, Brahms, Verdi, Schubert, and Mussorgsky writing them, not because they really wanted to devote their music to God in any sense.

Then there was Debussy and Vaugham Williams and Mahler in the early 20th century....

Interesting.

VonEvilstein

Reading and writing musical notation is hugely overrated. I used to be able to sight-read music. However, as it was a skill I never, ever needed to apply in practice, I can now just barely decipher it.
This has never held me back as a bass guitarist, nor has it impeded my ability to arrange and "write" (perhaps devise would be more appropriate a word) music on the fly, my understanding of musical theory or my gift (for want of a better word) of being able to set up a good sound, on more or less any piece of equipment in less than two mins.

Does anyone recall if Hendrix could read music? Would whether he could or not, alter his status as the greatest* guitarist of all time?


*greatest, not best.