Drum Corps Shows - Aesthetic Requirements as per Aristotle

[Brutus]

Drum corps shows have have evolved to the point where the productions have themes, thematic arguments, story elements, and underlying meaning beyond simply movement and music. Gone are the days of drum corps' random jukebox spectacles which included "Yellow Rose of Texas" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the dreaded, puerile "Camptown Races" randomly stuffed into the same show. Today's drum corps shows are no longer spectacles without meaning.

In Poetics, Aristotle warns against such spectacles without meaning. Aristotle calls spectacle the "least artistic" element of tragedy, and the "least connected with the work of the poet (playwright/musician). For example: if the play has "beautiful" costumes and "bad" acting and "bad" story, there is "something wrong" with it. Even though that "beauty" may save the play it is not an essential thing.

The Bluecoats' To Search for America is an example of the height of the drum corps activity's evolution in the vein of Aristotilian completeness. The production told a coming of age story based the theme of the loss of innocence. However, Bluecoat's Tilt was an example of a spectacle without Aristotle's required plot, thought, character and diction. The visual spectacle was merely an interpretation of four pieces of modern symphonic music without underlying thematic argument. It contained only two of Aristotle's required components for aesthetic works, spectacle and melody, and as a result contained no dramatic action, and no cohesive progression of emotion. Sure, other successful drum corps shows have simply interpreted music without using character, dialogue or plot, [sCV '99] but they were successful because they used repetition of drill sets, and used the music's understructure to create an identifiable visual story. The music in Tilt, however, had no identifiable understructure, no character, no solid emotional progression, no game, and as a result failed in its dramatic action. It failed to bring viewers on a pathway of logic from beginning to end. Audiences were so thrilled with the special effect device of the pitch bend at the end of the show, that they completely forgave the show's egregious flaw-- the show had no thematic argument, no pattern, and let's face it, no meaning.

Clearly, the ancient greeks implore us to avoid frivolous spectacle and loose themes in our drum corps shows for 2015.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Brutus

[bill]

Drum corps shows have have evolved to the point where the productions have themes, thematic arguments, story elements, and underlying meaning beyond simply movement and music. Gone are the days of drum corps' random jukebox spectacles which included "Yellow Rose of Texas" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the dreaded, puerile "Camptown Races" randomly stuffed into the same show. Today's drum corps shows are no longer spectacles without meaning.

In Poetics, Aristotle warns against such spectacles without meaning. Aristotle calls spectacle the "least artistic" element of tragedy, and the "least connected with the work of the poet (playwright/musician). For example: if the play has "beautiful" costumes and "bad" acting and "bad" story, there is "something wrong" with it. Even though that "beauty" may save the play it is not an essential thing.

The Bluecoats' To Search for America is an example of the height of the drum corps activity's evolution in the vein of Aristotilian completeness. The production told a coming of age story based the theme of the loss of innocence. However, Bluecoat's Tilt was an example of a spectacle without Aristotle's required plot, thought, character and diction. The visual spectacle was merely an interpretation of four pieces of modern symphonic music without underlying thematic argument. It contained only two of Aristotle's required components for aesthetic works, spectacle and melody, and as a result contained no dramatic action, and no cohesive progression of emotion. Sure, other successful drum corps shows have simply interpreted music without using character, dialogue or plot, [sCV '99] but they were successful because they used repetition of drill sets, and used the music's understructure to create an identifiable visual story. The music in Tilt, however, had no identifiable understructure, no character, no solid emotional progression, no game, and as a result failed in its dramatic action. It failed to bring viewers on a pathway of logic from beginning to end. Audiences were so thrilled with the special effect device of the pitch bend at the end of the show, that they completely forgave the show's egregious flaw-- the show had no thematic argument, no pattern, and let's face it, no meaning.

Clearly, the ancient greeks implore us to avoid frivolous spectacle and loose themes in our drum corps shows for 2015.

..........well, if I recall.................Aristotle is dead.

[Tim K]

..........well, if I recall.................Aristotle is dead.

While it us true that Aristotle is dead, so too are Fellini and Tchaikovsky and that didn't stop Blue Devils or Phantom Regiment!

Never thought Aristotle would come in handy for drum corps, and it's been a while since I read Aristotle which I am sure i read only for class, never for pleasure, but I do recall Aristotle being a great believer in logic over opinion, and to me, the OP's points are more opinion in regards to Bluecoats. For one thing, how can rather simplistic props be "frivolous spectacle?" To me, these props were minimal or even sparse as compared with BD, SCV, Crown, or Blue Stars, but they were used to maximum effect in a show that grabbed our attention. Who knows, Aristotle might be shouting "Bloo" from philosophy Heaven!

[garfield]

There's a reason that the Romans died off. If Aristotle couldn't save his own people, he's likely not going to succeed in DCP.

Have you ever played pinball?

[drumcorpsfever]

huh?

[quietcity]

There's a reason that the Romans died off. If Aristotle couldn't save his own people, he's likely not going to succeed in DCP.

Have you ever played pinball?

Garfield, it pains me to point out that Aristotle was a Greek, and marched in the fourth century BC. The Greeks were basically G7 until about the first or second century AD, long after Aristotle aged out. They then dropped to open class for the next couple millennia. Now, the Romans were medaling until about 400AD, before going inactive due to poor management and Huns.

Edited October 4, 2014 by quietcity

[Lincoln]

Could it be that perhaps there is too much analysis going on with shows? Yes, maybe some designers are trying to portray too much, but it brings me back to Phantom 2010 and how there were a lot of people who seemed to understand the message without the need for anything deeper.

You are born - you have a life and then you pass on.

[bill]

You are born - you have a life and then you pass on.

...............toss in "get taxed" several times within that sentence ; and yup................that's about it.

[GUARDLING]

Could it be that perhaps there is too much analysis going on with shows? Yes, maybe some designers are trying to portray too much, but it brings me back to Phantom 2010 and how there were a lot of people who seemed to understand the message without the need for anything deeper.

You are born - you have a life and then you pass on.

I have found just the opposite. Although themes are very thought out , I have found many spectators looking for meaning in the smallest thing. I have been in on many design meetings over the years and many times it's been said, we plant the seed and the viewer runs with it. Often times in 100 directions and often just what designers wanted them to do. Kinda like reality TV. It's an 11 min. show and often it's the essence of a theme presented not a detailed play by play account.

[FTNK]

That is the most pretentious possible way of saying Bluecoats' 2014 show was overrated, but I agree that it was.