Are we running out of new music/movies/art from a metaphysical perspective?

stephen_s

It is difficult to judge at first, but it appears that some music genres (classical and jazz especially) have seen a radically slowed or non-existent output of significant works in recent decades. By significant, I mean works that would be seen in league with the most acclaimed artists in the genre (eg Beethoven, John Coltrane). In a similar way, there is a building popular consensus that Hollywood is not pursuing original ideas as much anymore and is relying on rebooting old stories and franchises. But is this because of a fault of the Hollywood system, or is it because there are few significant movie story ideas left that have not been done?

It seems to me that there are limited possibilities in art (or any field) of what we can discover or create. It appears that the matter and rules of the universe (in concert with human nature) manifests itself into these limited possibilities. When we develop a field or genre, we learn and create at an increasing rate but then eventually "complete" the field (in a boom and bust pattern).

I wrote a brief article called The Big Niche to try and explain this concept.

The relevant questions seem to be:

Do you agree that from experience and observation, we can tell that certain genres or fields appear to become completed?
Does this concept or another concept best explain what is happening?

I'm interested if any of you agree with this line of thinking or have other possible explanations of this phenomena.

I wrote a brief article called The Big Niche to try and explain this concept.

The relevant questions seem to be:

Do you agree that from experience and observation, we can tell that certain genres or fields appear to become completed?
Does this concept or another concept best explain what is happening?

I'm interested if any of you agree with this line of thinking or have other possible explanations of this phenomena.

This might completely invalidate my point, then, but I think jazz can at least come close to "classical"'s range of possibilities

It comes the closest of any popular tradition, certainly, but not really that close in absolute terms.

Also, I'm inclined to believe what you're saying about "no musical tradition in the world" ever being as wide-ranging as "classical" music, but it is a pretty substantial claim. Do you mind elaborating on why you think that's so?

It's similar to the reason that Western civilization is the most diverse and heterogeneous of civilizations: because it eventually absorbs everything else.

Art music in the Western tradition has had over a millennium to develop, during which time it has come into contact with all other known traditions and incorporated their possibilities into its own possibility-space.

There is almost no property you can name that every piece of "classical" music must have; to my knowledge it's the only kind of music that doesn't even require sound. (Could you imagine a silent jazz piece?)

It's similar to the reason that Western civilization is the most diverse and heterogeneous of civilizations: because it eventually absorbs everything else.
Art music in the Western tradition has had over a millennium to develop, during which time it has come into contact with all other known traditions and incorporated their possibilities into its own possibility-space.

That's a compelling vision/ideal, but I'm not sure that it's a good description of the reality. Most people in 'Western art music' focus their attention on a very small repertoire - much o... (read more)

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Are we running out of new music/movies/art from a metaphysical perspective?

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Are we running out of new music/movies/art from a metaphysical perspective?

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