Music in 21st-Century Society: Roger Scruton | Walking Among Noise (with Greil Marcus)

The 2015 Lloyd Old and Constance Old Lecture

A lecture by Roger Scruton, followed by a discussion with acclaimed author Greil Marcus, with a musical interlude by Perspectives Ensemble Members.

In “Walking among Noise: Tonality, Atonality, and Where We Go from Here,” Scruton discusses the role of beauty, art, and music in everyday experience. What are the lessons learned from the avant-garde, and how can composers connect with young audiences today? Scruton, a well-known conservative philosopher and a powerful polemicist, is the author of a dozen books. His work has appeared in the American Spectator, the Wall Street Journal, Harpers, and National Review.

Marcus, an influential music and cultural critic, has written for Rolling Stone, Creem, the Village Voice, and other publications. His many books include Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music; Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century; and The Old, Weird America: The World of Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes.

Musical program, featuring Perspectives Ensemble Members, to include:

George Rochberg (1918–2005): “Variations (on Pachelbel)” from Quartet No 6, Third movement (1978)

Michael Tippett (1905-1998): “Allegro grazioso” from Quartet No 2, First movement (1941-42)

Anton Webern (1883-1945): Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9 (1911-13)