Criticism ‘09
Apropos of nothing, a former Washington Post classical writer and a current Washington Post pop writer recently weighed in on the meaning of music criticism. J. Freedom du Lac claims that influence is no longer a widespread possibility—and hasn’t been since the era of Boston—but that it’s still possible put a subject under a new light. And Tim Page argues for professional criticism as a bulwark against factual errors and unnecessary meanness. Both are worth reading if only because, while technology has no doubt changed the pursuit (see: blogs and MP3s) and made it more difficult to do it professionally, music criticism predates recorded sound and will probably outlast its current low ebb.
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3:01 pm
Make both former WaPo writers – J. Free left the paper this week.
3:49 pm
Great pieces, though…and they dovetail nicely with an article I have to write tonight…
4:53 pm
J. Free did not leave the paper; he took paternity leave, and will be back at the Post working for/with Marc Fisher, but not as the Post’s music critic and concert review assigner.