Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Greek Music Reconstruction

Some of the few earliest notated music pieces mankind has preserved are Greek.  Fascinating archeological and musicological project, as we try to cipher what those squiggles and jots mean.  Read article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24611454

 The Classical Greeks wrote the earliest expositions on the science of sound,  which I never miss an opportunity to expound on to my students or chance passers by. :)  As best as I can, despite my sparse knowledge of this science, I explain why some notes sound great together while others are difficult on the ears, like an out of tune instrument (voice!).  The reality of consonance (stable) and dissonance (unstable) in sounds comes out of the way our world is, how it was designed, I believe.  It is elemental to understanding music composition and forms the basis of our theories about music and the emotions it conveys.