Writing about music is like dancing about architecture: Difference between revisions
←Created page with 'thumb|Musical comedian [[Martin Mull (pictured in 1976) is thought to have originated the quote, although an earlier variation of the line has been documented from the early 20th-century.]] "'''Writing about music is like dancing about architecture'''" (or "'''talking about music is like singing about economics'''") is a maxim used to express the futility of translating music through words<ref>{{cite book |la...' Tag: Disambiguation links added |
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Revision as of 16:53, 12 May 2022
"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" (or "talking about music is like singing about economics") is a maxim used to express the futility of translating music through words[1] and to dismiss music criticism altogether.[2]
Origins
The origins of the quote have never been verified. It has been attributed to musicians, entertainers, and writers such as William S. Burroughs, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, George Carlin, Martin Mull, Lester Bangs, David Byrne, Steve Martin, Elvis Costello, and Laurie Anderson.[3]
One of the earliest known usages of the line in print appears in a 1979 Detroit Free Press magazine article, where it is attributed to Martin Mull, although this instance is predated by other print sources that contain similar expressions such as "singing about economics".[4] In a 1930 issue of The Musical Quarterly, academic Winthrop Parkhurst wrote,
Some critic once observed that talking about music is like singing about economics; and it must be admitted that most conversation about music supports the apophthegm, for it is commonly as strange a perversion of the subject as would be the transformation of Das Kapital into a lullaby.[5]
In a 1983 interview, Elvis Costello responded to a question about his treatment in the music press by stating, in part,
Framing all the great music out there only drags down its immediacy. The songs are lyrics, not speeches, and they're tunes, not paintings. Writing about music is like dancing architecture—it's a really stupid thing to want to do.[2][6]
In a later interview, Costello denied having originated the phrase, adding with uncertainty that he may have gotten the line from Mull.[7] Laurie Anderson believed that the saying had derived from Steve Martin.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Brackett, David (2000). Interpreting Popular Music: With a new preface by the author. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520925700.
- ^ a b Adelaide, Debra; Attfield, Sarah, eds. (2021). Creative Writing Practice: Reflections on Form and Process. Springer Nature. pp. 210–212. ISBN 9783030736743.
- ^ a b Keyes, Ralph (2007). The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. St. Martin's. p. 256. ISBN 9781429906173.
- ^ Dubner, Steven J. (December 30, 2010). "Quotes Uncovered: Dancing About Architecture". Freakonomics.
- ^ Parkhurst, Winthrop (July 1930). "Music, the Invisible Art". The Musical Quarterly. 16 (3). Oxford University Press: 298–299.
- ^ White, Timothy (October 1983). "Elvis Costello: A Man Out of Time Beats the Clock". Musician. No. 60. p. 52.
- ^ "50 Years of Great British Music, Elvis Costello Interview". Q. March 2008. p. 67.