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Re: roots




>>Repeated phrases, with rising and falling intensity, have been a part of
>>music for a long, long time I think. Its in music from all over the 
>world,
>>in all different cultures. If anything, a bit less in European Classical
>>music, but its certainly present there too.
>
>Amazing, isnt it: As if Europe had "escaped" form the "barbarian"
>repetitive music and then got lost in intelectual ateism until in the 
>60ies
>the "stupidity" in the music broke through again and cures the stiffness -
>a rather radical view, easy to see the oposit if one wants.

Bach's chorales and fugues are based on variations of a melody, ie.
permuting a melody by shitfing pitch, time scale, direction of flow, etc,
and then playing the permuted melodies at the same time as the original
one, creating endless varieties of entertwining melodic interactions -- not
to mention some improvisation thrown in.  This isn't pure repetition, but
isn't purely linear either.

>>I may even hazzard that this sort of repetition is an important part of
>>making something "musical." I know I often find myself losing interest in
>>music that keeps going on to something new with out ever repeating
>>anything, while music that does repeat on various levels keeps me 
>involved.

Yes, I think listener involvement is a very important aspect to music.
When there is a "pattern" underlying a musical composition, and the
listener is aware of that pattern, it brings a new dimension to the music -
certainly on the intellectual level -- but probably on the emotional level,
as well.  Reich's Phase music (violin, piano) is interesting to me
intellectually, based purely on the concept (I was excited about this
music, upon hearing ABOUT it, before I actually even HEARD it) -- but then
upon listening to it, I was also impacted on a more emotional level.

When I first experienced a live performance of an (North Indian Classical)
raga, I was stunned by the complexity of the piece and the musicianship of
the performers.  But even more importantly, I was blown away by how the
audience was "in tune" to what was going on.  For example, when one
performer would "go-off" on an incrediblly complex "solo", he would
(climactically) hit the sum, (and go back into the basic theme) -- and the
audience was ready for it!  To me, it was comparable to John McLaughlin
stopping in the middle of a raging solo, and the audience knowing,
expecting that was going to happen.  I didn't see the pattern, so to me it
seemed as if there was some sort of "magical" communication going on
between the performer and the audience.  --> But the audience was merely
aware of the underlying pattern of the music.

Apparently, Bach never "finished" his more complex fugues, ie. he never
carried out the piece to its logical completeness.  He left that open for
the listener to do.  If one was aware of the underlying pattern of the
music, he could finish the piece himself.

I guess the point I am trying to make with all this is that there is a
dimension to a musical performance which involves how a piece is meaningful
to the listener.  Music can be meaningful in so many ways.  To me, looping
music (in particular) can be meaningful on an emotional level (perhaps,
repetition has something to do with this, like a mantra) and on an
intellectual level (perhaps, due to the complexity which results by
combining simple, fundamental parts).

- chris



---------------------------------------
Chris Chovit
cho@gomez.jpl.nasa.gov
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