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Heavens, Bob, I never thought I'd see the Yellowstone Caldera and the landslide -prone volcano in the Canaries mentioned on F-minor! whatever next? Global annihilation by errant incoming asteroid, perhaps? But I agree that God (if he/she is there) seems perhaps more interested in chaos than in harmony and order ....or perhaps it is just that the human mind tends to perceive as chaos something as bewilderingly complex as the universe around us, even if "order" is there among the complexity. Maybe that is indeed why music (all music, not just Mr Gould's) has the power to move us. it may be an abstract art, but it gives us not only beauty, but the sense of harmony and the structure that perhaps we crave. It makes sense of the world, in a way. And it also structures time itself; making something as elusive and yet as all-pervasive as the passing of time directly apparent to our senses in a regular way. But ultimately, I doubt if we can fully explain why music 'moves' us. It is, after all, a non-verbal experience, so how can it really be described an explained in words? We can analyse the form and structure of music, we can discuss and explain the intentions and techniques of the composers and players; but while this helps us to understand and enjoy their creation of music, does it really teach us much about our emotional response to it? Can it, for example, tell us why different people respond to different kinds of music so passionately? Or explain why music of different cultures can leave us cold, yet deeply affect someone who has been used to it from birth? Or simply why one piece sounds "happy" and another moves us to tears? Yet we take these effects for granted. Perhaps we need to study more how the human brain and nervous system works. But that could become very clinical. Although we love discussing music, and find it a fascinating experience, I suspect we will ever explain to our full satisfaction just "why" such artificially-ordered accoustic vibrations can produce an emotional response at all ! Such an explanation is not necessary for our enjoyment, anyway. As to why Glenn Gould's music, in particular, has such power to move.....I am still thinking..... I guess you other guys on this list are able to explain this better than I can, anyway. Certainly, individuals can each explain the effect that certain music has on them (Bradley does this excellently ) but in general, the emotional power within music remains, to me at least, wonderful but ultimately inscrutable. Kate Bob wrote: |