Screenwriter legend William Goldman states in his cranky classic, "The Season": If you actually think of yourself as a writer, writing a musical comedy book is degrading... You are just not going to find any writer of genuine talent making a career in this field. Well, I don't love to degrade myself, but I understand Goldman's point. I may lack genuine talent, but at least I love what I'm doing.Friday, December 31, 2010
Librettist? Ah, Pathetic!
Screenwriter legend William Goldman states in his cranky classic, "The Season": If you actually think of yourself as a writer, writing a musical comedy book is degrading... You are just not going to find any writer of genuine talent making a career in this field. Well, I don't love to degrade myself, but I understand Goldman's point. I may lack genuine talent, but at least I love what I'm doing.
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Dear Michael, you are one of the few persons who deliberatly show to have the sense of proportions and measure and you have the great merit of trying also to show the specific importance of different levels of lightness and weight. I must say you thank you, because you are one of the few authors I quite often can recommend persuing the stubborn pedagogic mission which conditions my life, since you try to be comprehensible when you explore profound pointful questions and you try to be associatively continuative when you shape and sharpen sentences of a song. This is intellectual probity and honesty of thaught, and it is no doubt impossible without talent. Thank you very much. And thank you also for your lessons on playwriting left on youtube. I hope as many as possible people will realize how precious it is to enjoy great lessons for free.
ReplyDeleteFor what concerns W.Goldman I am always asking myself what could be a good idea which could tie together stimuli coming from the Pulitzer and stimuli coming from Tony. The situation of our time is favouring too much stimuli which provoke cognitive schizophrenia. I have some stupid ideas on this regard and will write them down one day with the hope that wiser people than me will try to improve them as Albrecht Dürer suggests...
"Doch so will ich das Wenig, das ich gelernt ha, so viel ich mag an Tag lassen kummen, auf daß ein Besserer dann ich bin fein errät und mich um mein Irrthum mit seinem gegenwärtigen Werk beweislich strof. Des will ich mich freuen, und dorum daß ich dannocht ein Ursach bin, daß solche Worheit an Tag kummt."
Sorry, I forgot. Happy New Year to everyone!!
ReplyDelete“…. genuine talent….”
ReplyDeleteI am still digesting the diaries (1982-2001) of writer and journalist Fritz J. Raddatz who showcases the German literature scene after WW II. The book is rife with gossip and horrible looks backstage on each of its 900 pages. Due to his status as a Rowohlt´s chief-lector and chief of ZEIT-feuilleton he lived in the centre of intellectual life - and madness.
No one of our pathetic heroes is spared!
Great disillusion and disappointment! Reassurance that I always preferred American writers.
What a delight for the senses to read the talented and sensible writer Michael Kunze!
Many thanks and Happy New Year!
While William Goldman is an exceptional writer, I consider your talent to be far more profound than his. Your structure of librettos and your lyric writing is pure genius! You carry an amazing portfolio of work and should be extremely proud, Dr. Kunze. "Elisabeth" is a masterpiece in my eyes. And your character development in "Marie Antoinette" and "Mozart" is beyond astounding! I believe that if Mr. Goldman saw one of your pieces, he would truly believe in your masterful craft at writing for the musical theatre.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, you've inspired a very young librettist to believe that the art of writing for music theatre will never be "low-brow" or "pathetic."
ReplyDelete