Klarinet Archive - Posting 000762.txt from 2002/05

From: Mark Gustavson <mgustav@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] A Colour Symphony op. 24
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 18:51:51 -0400

Motion in music isn't about movement but about the sensation of experiencing
motion.
Many years ago Bell Labs did experiments to see if the mind grouped musical
information. The listeners were given 10 tones of equal duration at the
same frequency per second. 10 per second was used because it is beyond the
threshold of our perception. The listeners (all musicians) could not hear
them as 10 equal durations. Instead heard them in groups. I think
experiments like this show insight into our perception and can explain to a
degree how we hear the illusion of motion. I am not aware of any tests that
are scientific that make any connection between harmony and color. Scientist
don't even know if light is a particle of a frequency so I cannot imagine
that there would be any interest in correlating sound frequency to light. I
think it makes for great pub conversation though. It is a concept that harks
back to alchemy--to shroud oneself in mystery to enhance the mysteriousness
of music and art which is fine as long as it is not purported to be actual.
I have found very few people who truly hear music without the extramusical.
I think that when the extramusical explanations disappear from one's
experience of music then the music becomes more transparent and the
experience more profound.

William Wright wrote:

> <><><> I wrote:
> and the concept of motion certainly is part of music
>
> <><> Mike Dowler wrote:
> Wouldn't motion in sound relate to physical location of the origin of
> the sound?
>
> [chuckle] That's the problem with analogies and metaphors, isn't it? I
> read a news article somewhere in which a child genius was asked during a
> test at school:
>
> Which of the following four words does not belong in the group: Add,
> Subtract, Multiply, Increase.
>
> The fellow answered "Add".
>
> His reason?
>
> "Add" is the only word that doesn't have eight letters.
>
> Cheers,
> Bill
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------