Author: Ashutosh Ghildiyal

I said, “Look, researchers believe that certain types of music actually create new neural pathways in the brain. That means that the brain can function in a different field than that of memory alone. After listening to classical music, adults can do certain spatial tasks more quickly, such as putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Why does this happen? The classical music pathways in our brain are similar to the pathways we use for spatial reasoning. When we listen to classical music, the spatial pathways are turned on and ready to be used. The music most people call classical – works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart – is different from other kinds of music as it has a more complex musical structure. Researchers think the complexity of classical music is what primes the brain to solve spatial problems more quickly. So listening to classical music may have different effects on the brain than listening to other types of music.”

I wanted to tell them about my favorite composer and also give an example which might seem a little accessible to them. So I told them about Bach. “One of the first and most highly reputed classical composers is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s contributions to music, or, to borrow a term popularized by his student Lorenz Christoph Mizler, his ‘musical science,’ are frequently bracketed with the contributions of William Shakespeare in English literature and Isaac Newton in physics. Someone suggested that Bach’s music is what the people of Earth should use to communicate with the universe. Bach is the also the most represented artist on the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record included in two Voyager (Spaceship) missions. Bach’s compositions are three of the 27 recordings chosen. Also, several notable composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Mendelssohn began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being introduced to Bach’s music.”

I told them that Bach’s music, revered for its intellectual and technical beauty, was not always appreciated during his own lifetime, and he was considered to be “old-fashioned” by his contemporaries. Nevertheless, Bach is now considered one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. Today the “Bach style” continues to influence musical composition, from hymns and religious works to pop and rock. Many of Bach’s themes – particularly the theme from Toccata and Fugue in D minor – have been used in rock songs repeatedly and have achieved notable popularity.

Someone commented, “If the theory is based on the complexity of music (I approach it from the mathematical perspective), then it is not limited to orchestral music. An extreme example would be Math Rock.”

Theory again! I really dislike these words: theory, idea, opinion, point of view! I said, “Firstly, it’s not a theory – it’s an actuality, as anybody can observe for himself. Secondly, classical music is not limited to orchestral music. Also, though the musical structure might be complex, the actual music is really very simple. Because it is simple, it can operate in the most complex fields. Like Bach’s music; when they map it, they see all the complex structures and all the intricate details, but when you listen to it, it’s the simplest form of music ever written. It’s like nature.

“The type of music labeled as rock was at its best in the 60s and the 70s. Some of the best music in categories such as rock, punk and jazz was created then. It was created by people who wanted to break from the tradition and structure of classical music, since tradition is always a limitation, and wanted to create something new. There were some great musicians in this period who have been highly influential. Examples would be Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and John Coltrane. However, through time, even that became a tradition, a genre, which others followed, remaining within the same field, so it became repetitive.

“Math Rock, as I understand, is based on conscious and deliberate effort towards creating music within a particular frame, according to certain pre-formulations. Since it uses mathematics, it is based on measurement, which means comparison, which also means time. Since there is a framework defined already, it remains within the field of the known. Therefore, the spontaneity, the timeless factor, is missing. Since they try to manipulate, twist and syncopate to confuse, to delay, to create something that is a twist on rock, punk, or pop, it simply remains a modification of the existing structures.”

Nobody said anything after that. I guess they were either bored or had had too much of this. There was nothing more said and we left for our respective tasks.

“Anurag, you certainly did try to prove something there,” said Virendra. “I doubt whether it was for yourself or for them. It’s not something you can propagate through words. It is enough that you understand. You don’t have to show it to others too, you don’t have to convince them.”

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 The above extract has been taken from the short story, “Music and Intelligence“, featured in the book: To Think or Not to Think and Other Stories, by Ashutosh Ghildiyal 

About the Author:

Ashutosh Ghildiyal is a salaried professional based in Mumbai, India. He was born in Lucknow in 1984, where he completed his schooling. He completed his graduate studies in New Delhi and his post-graduate education in Mumbai. He is the author of “To Think or Not to Think and Other stories” (Book), various blogs, articles, and short stories.

Email: ashutoshghildiyal@hotmail.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/a-short-discourse-on-music-iii-446528.html

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