Author: csmith
Date: 2008-08-07 13:40
Before my question, I must first give a little background info....
As a music major, I had to attend a certain number of concert performances each semester. One style of music I tried listening to a number of times was contemporary/modern - composers like John Cage and Arnold Schoenberg. I just could not understand how anyone could enjoy listening to that "music"!
Now fast forward 10 years. I was asked to play with Voices of Change, the same group I'd dreaded listening to in college! I of course accepted the offer as the opportunity of a lifetime. The piece was Life Story by Thomas Ades. So I bought a CD and listened it. Yikes! I knew my work was cut out for me because at the surface level, at the level of someone listening for the first time, I didn't "get it". It was more noise than music!
Well, I worked my tail off and dove deeply into the piece. My eyes gradually opened so that I could see and understand how the parts intertwined - how each of the instruments complimented one another to create the overall product. After many hours of study, I finally "got it". And that same piece I'd listened to at first that was "noise" suddenly became beautiful music!
Now to the point.
I once worked with a guy who had a PhD in mathematics, and he absolutely loved the kind of music performed by groups like Voices of Change. In order for me to really love and develop a great appreciation for that music, I had to study my tail off for hours on end. But after several discussions with him, it was clear that he "got it" without having to study it.
I have often wondered if there were some sort of correlation between high-level mathematics and modern music, or at least having an immediate grasp and/or appreciation of modern music. As a software engineer, I certainly understand the similarity between music and math, but I've wondered if there are higher "levels" of complexity in music you can't really understand/appreciate unless you are (1) a math genius or (2) study it for yourself.
Any thoughts or additional insights?
Thanks,
Chad Smith
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