There can be no disputing that the increasingly popular and
profitable "New Age music" has roots in the New Age movement --
the identical names are not a coincidence. The trend began with
jazz luminaries like Paul Horn and John Fahey seeking to create
music especially conducive to New Age spirituality. Then, as
recounted by New Age seminar leader and entrepreneur Dick Sutphen,
in the latter 1970s Steven Halpern created a "soothing music that
was...great for visualization. Structured on a pentatonic scale,
there was no tension, no resolve, and it inspired without distr
acting." ("The Emergence of New Age Music," _Self-Help Update_,
issue 29, 14.) Halpern, who holds a Master's degree in the
psychology of music, was deliberately attempting to facilitate the
development of "higher" levels of consciousness.
This has remained a central goal for many New Age musicians
today. Even Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider, whose records
have sold in the millions, explains that the purpose of the
tranquil sound is to "build a bridge between the conscious and the
subconscious. We have to somehow excite our spirituality." (Bill
Barol with Mark D. Uehling and George Raine, "Muzak for a New
Age," _Newsweek_, 13 May 1985, 68.)
For many involved in this burgeoning field, however, the
primary incentives appear to be artistic expression and/or
financial gain. Windham Hill, the leading New Age label, has in
10 years grown into a $21 million record company. Its artists
include such popular names as George Winston and Shadowfax. While
strongly expressing their commitment to creative over monetary
values, they explicitly deny any commitment to the New Age
movement. Correspondingly, they do not pursue the more
"hard-core" New Age music (which Sutphen calls "Inner Harmony New
Age Music") that is used as background for meditation and healing
sessions. Instead, they have become associated with "New Age
jazz," a progressive blend of jazz, rock, folk, and other influen-
ces....
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