musical voices
SMAGOR who-is-at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
Thu, 19 Oct 1995 12:00:45 -0500 (CDT)
As i write this I'm listening to a CD called Officium by Jan
Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble--the ensemble is an a capella
choral group singing ancient chants while Garbarek improvises
soprano sax solos over them--very beautiful music, icy and
contemplative. Gordon raised the question of differences
between music and language, and music like Officium illustrates
the ways in which in some cases they're inseparable--not just
because they accompany one another but because the language
of the chants (which I can't understand) is sung. Music often
lends great power to words--how often have you seen the lyrics
to great songs rendered on a page and been disappointed in the
lack of impact they have without the music enlivening them?
A second consideration: I think we need to look at the production
of music, and the consumption of music (that is, listening)
differently--much as we might regard writing and reading as
related but not the same. I personally can't play any musical
instruments (though I took violin lessons as a kid), but I
listen to music all the time. I can speak, I think, to the
ways in which music affects me as a listener, but have
nothing to contribute to Gordon's question about how music
serves as a mediational tool (I *think* that was the question)
for those who perform it.
Peter Smagorinsky smagor who-is-at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu