> his translation of the Iliad had already been acclaimed by Samuel Johnson as "a performance which no age or nation could hope to equal."
This is the literary equivalent of claiming 640K should be enough for anybody.
This is the literary equivalent of claiming 640K should be enough for anybody.
Bach is no lesser than deadmau5 because deadmau5 composes 300 years later. But technology from 300 years before is by definition less advanced than todays...
What was pleasant to read text 300 years ago is unpleasant hard to read text. What was normal word 300 years ago is unusual rare word now. What is even worst, the same word now can mean something completely different.
It is more like technology then music in this regard.
Agree with the rest of what you say but take issue with “ceases to be good”, since, even with translations, determining what is “good” about a piece of literature is complicated and often more about the process than the outcome.
For example some translation which still has a lot of artistic merit or historical importance, but, as you said, is now dated and difficult to read because the language has changed so much since when the translation was written.
I’d argue it doesn’t make sense to call that translation “bad”. “Bad for an undergraduate”, or “bad as a first translation to read, or “bad at X”, some specific thing, but overall bad? Personally I’d argue now.
Also for what it’s worth even if the science behind music doesn’t change, music itself - how we hear it and our culture for it - kinda does.
For example, lots of sounds / music that used to be considered unbearable noise is now widely accepted and popular. Looking at the changes in western popular music in the 20th century is a great example of this.
But —- I agree with you that language and music (and art) are all sort of their own kinds of technologies!
There are materials and techniques and functions and so on. The technology / art divide is much blurrier than is often appreciated. :)
Often attributed (erroneously) to Kenneth Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
Source investigation: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/09/14/home-computer/