John Kulig had some interesting thoughts about the universality of music: >It is true that some European music is refined (WESTERN europe? sorry sorry lol). But like language, the differences are tied mostly to social class. An alien to this planet would notice that harmonies are appreciated similarly in all peoples (I would love to see exceptions ...) .. such that a "third" interval and a "fifth" are perceived as correct and peaceful, a 7th creates a sense of tension, minor keys (C, Eflat, G) create melancholy, and the 3/4 and 4/4 tempos fit with human movement and the time it takes to, say, execute a small jump into the air and return, or, beat a drum. Try beating a drum outside the range of tempos used in classical music - hard to do. Look at all the classical music rooted in folk & tribal themes - Rimsky Korsakov's incorporating melodies from the Causasian Mts, Dvorak's inclusion of what he believed were American "indian" tribal music (they were African American actually ..), Copeland's & Piston's reliance on American folk, etc etc etc. These are not isolated intrusions into music imo, but variations on a basic musical form that make classical music "human."<
Although I play several musical instruments (most of them poorly), I'm hardly a music theory expert, but TIPSters might find this interesting: a recent PBS special entitled "Music Instinct" pointed out that while most westerners do indeed feel that the octave (eight-note interval) seems "right" and that playing a minor key seems to connote sadness, as well as other variations with which we're familiar such as the major chord, there are indeed some cultures where these ways of playing and singing music do not hold true. Examples given are from Tibet, Lebanon and other countries, and Bobby McFerrin (who happily [!] is much more musically capable than just "Don't Worry, Be Happy") guides the musical exploration, with input from a host of music and science experts (Yo Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Evelyn Glennie, Brian Greene, and many more). If you're interested, here's a link to the video from that section, and if you missed the rest of the show, it's all available at that site: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/musicinstinct/video/performance/world-music-improvisation/25/ Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
