Of Mozart, Parrots, and Cherry Blossoms in the Wind: A Composer Explores Mysteries of the Musical Mind

by Adolphe, Bruce

• ISBN13: 9780879102869
• ISBN10: 0879102861
• Edition: INDEXED
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-12-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

The exhilarating mix of humor, philosophy, fact and whimsy that marks these essays derives from more than 200 lectures Bruce Adolphe has given over most of the past decade, at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and at music festivals around the country. The composer of four operas as well as chamber music, concertos and orchestral works, Adolphe has written for Itzhak Perlman, David Shifrin, Beaux Arts Trio, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and many other renowned musicians. His essays, however divergent their apparent subjects, all serve a common purpose: to deepen our understanding of how music comes to be and how it may be enjoyed.

Table of Contents

Introduction	15	(2)
Music's Deep Physics	17	(4)
Body Loops	21	(10)
Everything Matters: The Real Life of Harmony, Melody and Counterpoint	31	(6)
And all is Always Now: Some Thoughts on Structure and Counterpoint	37	(8)
How Music Means	45	(4)
The Genetic and Environmental Aspects of Musical Composition	49	(6)
What Did Mozart Know?	55	(4)
Must It Be? (Or Must It be About?)	59	(8)
Chaos and Order: Coyote, Sam Shepard and Beethoven	67	(10)
Brahms and the Man: George Bernard Shaw and Johannes Brahms	77	(8)
Detachment and Perfection: Trances, Craft and Maurice Ravel	85	(8)
Innovation or Renovation: Postmodernism is Nothing New	93	(14)
Tragedy and Prophecy: Franz Schubert's Vision	107	(6)
A Composer's Music Therapy	113	(10)
Song, Dance and Cherry Blossoms in the Wind	123	(8)
Whales in Concert Halls: Some Thoughts on George Crumb	131	(8)
Musical Art Gallery of the Mind	139	(4)
Light, Layers and Edges: Music and the Visual Arts	143	(4)
Levels of Dissonance	147	(6)
Discovering Simplicity	153	(4)
Serenades, Talk Shows and the Lost Art of Conversation	157	(8)
Composing for Children	165	(6)
Teaching Composition Now	171	(14)
Warning: The Side Effects of Music Education	185	(4)
Postscript Listening to My Parrot Sing	189	(4)
Index	193