heckler73
Well-Known Member
This is a joy to watch (and play along with).
Leonard Bernstein, who is undoubtedly heard at least once by anyone who isn't deaf in their lifetime, presented a series of six lectures in 1973 as part of his academic duties.
What resulted was a brilliantly terse collection of music theory in its relation to linguistics.
From the Wiki:
To answer the question, “Whither music?” the first three lectures are based on the question, “Whence music?”[5] These lectures provide background about the history of music, and most of the analogies to linguistics are created during these segments. With the deployment of the linguistic connections as the series progresses, the lectures begin to feature listening examples more prominently. This is especially evident in the increasing frequency of full movements, and the increasing length of the lectures. Lectures 4 and 5 discuss the current state of classical music through the lenses of Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky. Lecture 6 discusses the potential future directions music can, and should, take.
Watching this, I garnered some insight into the possible genesis of the Tonic/Dominant relationship and its ubiquity across cultures. The hypothesis is logical, but in light of the debate as it stands today, it seems more likely music informed language and not the other way around. So, perhaps the Question is still unanswered despite his efforts?
I guess I'll find out as I watch the rest of the series, but the amount of material he covers is cleverly woven together along with concrete examples (such as playing a low C on a piano and listening for the harmonics in other strings). Anyone wanting to learn more about music would benefit from seeing even this one lecture, since he covers the Circle of 5ths and how to use it with an analysis of Mozart's Symphony in G Minor.
It's some heavy shit. Beware!
Leonard Bernstein, who is undoubtedly heard at least once by anyone who isn't deaf in their lifetime, presented a series of six lectures in 1973 as part of his academic duties.
What resulted was a brilliantly terse collection of music theory in its relation to linguistics.
From the Wiki:
To answer the question, “Whither music?” the first three lectures are based on the question, “Whence music?”[5] These lectures provide background about the history of music, and most of the analogies to linguistics are created during these segments. With the deployment of the linguistic connections as the series progresses, the lectures begin to feature listening examples more prominently. This is especially evident in the increasing frequency of full movements, and the increasing length of the lectures. Lectures 4 and 5 discuss the current state of classical music through the lenses of Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky. Lecture 6 discusses the potential future directions music can, and should, take.
Watching this, I garnered some insight into the possible genesis of the Tonic/Dominant relationship and its ubiquity across cultures. The hypothesis is logical, but in light of the debate as it stands today, it seems more likely music informed language and not the other way around. So, perhaps the Question is still unanswered despite his efforts?
I guess I'll find out as I watch the rest of the series, but the amount of material he covers is cleverly woven together along with concrete examples (such as playing a low C on a piano and listening for the harmonics in other strings). Anyone wanting to learn more about music would benefit from seeing even this one lecture, since he covers the Circle of 5ths and how to use it with an analysis of Mozart's Symphony in G Minor.
It's some heavy shit. Beware!