I love his music, and his philosophy. I've recently written a paper (for amusicology class) on him and his works, mainly focusing on Grab It! Here is some information on the JacobTV (from my paper) and why I enjoy him/his music/his philosophy;
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The aim of JacobTV’s music is to stimulate the listener’s emotions, not the intellect, like so many contemporary composers strive to do. Unlike his peers, he does not believe his music must be a juxtaposition of so many notes, rhythms, and melodies. He strongly believes that music must not be thought up, rather it must simply be made.
Two major themes may be found in JacobTV’s works. “Some works have a worldly, at times even cynical component: they illuminate day-to-day reality, with the accent on transience, loss, the sordid fringe of society. On the other side of the coin, some of Ter Veldhuis’ works present an elaborate verison of Heaven, with all its appropriate associations and implications.”
The first theme is clearly evident in a number of the composer’s “Ghettoblaster/boombox” works. May this Bliss Never End, cello, piano and ghettoblaster, uses samples from famous trumpeter Chet Baker, in which he details his rough life as both artist and junkie; Pitch Black, for saxophone quartet and ghettoblaster, is a sequel to May this Bliss never End, and like its predecessor, includes samples from Chet Baker in which he details his time in prison. Other works following this theme include Heartbreakers, which is comprised of samples from TV talk shows, Lipstick, which focuses on samples that concern relationships coming to an end, and finally Gulf War, which is samples of soldiers testimonials concerning the Gulf War.
The best example of the second theme can be found in JacobTV’s “video oratorio,” Paradiso, written for soprano, tenor, sampler, female choir and orchestra. This multimedia feature is based upon Dante’s Divine Comedy and is JacobTV’s way of opposing the doom and damnation that most contemporary artists focus upon. (ON A SIDE NOTE, HIS CONCERTO FOR SAXOPHONE AND ORCHESTRA FITS INTO THIS SECOND CATEGORY)
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I could go on and on, and post more, but I'm sure you all do not want to read this paper. Anyways, I think he is a composer with a true voice of his own. I regard his music the way he views it, as "avant-pop."
Concerning Grab It!, once you understand the message behind the work, I do not understand how a performer or an audience could react negative to it. Most of the professors that I contacted (Hemke, Sinta, Romain, Frigo) reacted very positive to his works, granted, I did not hear from Rousseau or Otis. The only negative response to this work came from my professor. Regardless, YOU HAVE a reaction to his work, normally a strong one, you either love his stuff or hate it, in my opinion. I think his music is thought provoking...personally, the first time I heard one of his works, I KNEW I needed to learn more about him.
Enough of me rambling...I'm interested in hearing everyone else's views on what you think of him/his work, but specifically on Grab It!