In Christian Schubart’s “Ideas for an Aesthetics of Tonkunst” ( Ideen zu einer Aesthetik der Tonkunst -1806) he lists all the musical keys and tells of its virtues and emotional values. But what on earth is tonkunst? An old German word mainly out of use meaning the art of tone. I have no idea how this method or art was developed. Maybe it a was synesthetic thing, maybe it came handed down from one musical teacher to another. But it is in keeping with today’s scientific investigations into how music and keys effect us. This Scientific America article explores yet another interesting take on how music evolved and why it moves us: “ …new research by Logeswaran and Bhattacharya adds yet more fuel to the expectation that music has been culturally selected to sound like an emotionally expressive human. While it is not easy for us to see the human ingredients in the modulations of pitch, intensity, tempo and rhythm that make music, perhaps it is obvious to our auditory homunculus.” (Mark Changizi on September 15, 2009) Music is a hologram of the human body…made by humans. It’s an invisible vibrational space we create around us and into us viaSpring and the Musical Body – by Stephen Fearnley
The Gift of Gratitude – by Stephen Fearnley
“GRATITUDE is SO VERY therapeutic .The world changes around you…” This month’s composer’s choice is called Gratitude. Im just about to start a practise-led Masters of Philosophy at Notre Dame University Sydney. A practise led masters is based on, in my case, a 50% practical component which will culminate in an exhibition of works and/or a musical performance and recording. Of course I have to come up with an idea/theme to pursue which will sustain a whole lot of investigation and nuts and bolts work. My mind has been racing : Will I investigate the negative space or the “void” in western and eastern art ? Or what about delving into the world of western and eastern mystics and how prayer and meditation have been explored ? What about cymatics, musical frequency and sacred geometry… Just a few topics out of many that are knocking on my brain door… In our live broadcast a few weeks ago ( go here to listen to the precession chat ) I discussed a dream I had where there was a little black spot on my right eye which I could not remove. Being a big Jung fan I knew that my subconscious was sending aThe Gift of Gratitude – by Stephen Fearnley
The VOID in Art, Music and Meditation – by Stephen Fearnley
When you do an image search in google for the word “VOID” you get a plethora of black holes and nasty vortices . “The Void in Art” is even more apocalyptic. It seems to indicate that the idea of “ nothingness” is a scary place to go- that “the space” always needs to be filled… In Art we call it negative space and in music it’s referred to as silence or the pause or the absence of noise. In Meditation its called antar mouna – The stillness of a calm mind. This months’s composer’s choice ‘Sapphire’ is all about the void. Its like musical facets of light and reflections appearing out of white space or silence. I’ve imagined a misty world with nature emerging from the whiteness, much like a chinese calligraphic landscape. In the East – the white background is the negative space or VOID. It is a representation of nothingness or the place from which all forms emerge. Its a way of illustrating a cosmological point of view- as well as simply making a beautiful picture. There is also a rhythm in this composition that refers to a Shishi Odoshi – a Japanese bamboo garden feature which whenThe VOID in Art, Music and Meditation – by Stephen Fearnley
A Meditation In D Minor – by Stephen Fearnley
We are so overstimulated by our technologies that we are not getting enough deep thinking time A lot of people associate minor music with sadness and they’d be right. But the tempo of a minor tune if raised, can sound happy like REM’s “Losing My Religion” – the structure and lyrics are sad but you dance along all the same. Its when you bring the tempo down and stretch the notes and repeat interlocking phrases with instruments such as strings and doleful angelic-voices and guitars that you get a weaving of sounds that can deliver what seems clearly more soul-searching and even melancholic. I like the word melancholy. I’ve never associated it with real sadness. It’s like what Victor Hugo says about it: Melancholy is the happiness of being sad. Its the pleasure and soothing quality of slow or minor key music that creates a deeper expansive place for contemplation. Of course the last thing I want to do is plop our One Mind Live members into a nose dive of misery ! I hope in this case “ Meditation in D minor ” I have the mix right… The repeating guitar riff is always climbing – so thats theA Meditation In D Minor – by Stephen Fearnley