Melody In Music

[Cythraul]

He didn't record it as much as write a piece for piano (in two separate movements, to add to the pretentiousness) in which the pianist sits at the piano for exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds, doing absolutely nothing. In MP3 form, it is 4'33" of perfect silence.

I've never heard that piece (or never not heard it, whatever) but that sounds like one of the dumbest ideas ever. Actually, that's probably the most retarded thing to ever be done in the name of "art." What happens when this piece is "performed" live? Does the piano player stand up after 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence to the sound of a rapturous standing ovation? John Cage should be murdered.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

4'33", pronounced "four minutes, thirty-three seconds", (Cage himself referred to it as "four, thirty-three") is often mistakenly referred to as Cage's "silent piece". He made it clear that he believed there is no such thing as silence, defined as a total absence of sound. In 1951, he visited an anechoic chamber at Harvard University in order to hear silence. "I literally expected to hear nothing," he said. Instead, he heard two sounds, one high and one low. He was told that the first was his nervous system and the other his blood circulating. This was a major revelation that was to affect his compositional philosophy from that time on. It was from this experience that he decided that silence defined as a total absence of sound did not exist. "Try as we may to make a silence, we cannot," he wrote. "One need not fear for the future of music."

I find that interesting.

 

[Cythraul]

4'33", pronounced "four minutes, thirty-three seconds", (Cage himself referred to it as "four, thirty-three") is often mistakenly referred to as Cage's "silent piece". He made it clear that he believed there is no such thing as silence, defined as a total absence of sound. In 1951, he visited an anechoic chamber at Harvard University in order to hear silence. "I literally expected to hear nothing," he said. Instead, he heard two sounds, one high and one low. He was told that the first was his nervous system and the other his blood circulating. This was a major revelation that was to affect his compositional philosophy from that time on. It was from this experience that he decided that silence defined as a total absence of sound did not exist. "Try as we may to make a silence, we cannot," he wrote. "One need not fear for the future of music."

I find that interesting.

So one has to know all that shit before they can fully enjoy that essentially non-musical piece of worthless abstraction? Count me out. Thought provoking? Yes but one could easily entertain those kind of thoughts without having to "experience" said piece. Enjoyable and artistically worthwhile/fulfilling? No.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

So one has to know all that shit before they can fully enjoy that essentially non-musical piece of worthless abstraction? Count me out. Thought provoking? Yes but one could easily entertain those kind of thoughts without having to "experience" said piece. Enjoyable and artistically worthwhile/fulfilling? No.

It might not be artistically fulfilling to you, or even him, but we'll never really know that.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

I get the whole pretentious vibe from that...but I still think it's cool. I just like different ideas like that. I heard of an album (I think by Fates Warning) where the focus of the album is the self or personal issues, so every time the words "me" or "I" are mentioned in the lyrics, they're accentuated. That's pretty cool.

Some could also call () by Sigur Ros pretentious, but I liked the concept of an album with no song titles, no lyrics, nothing except a picture of kissing sausages and faint images of haggard trees. Of course, the music was supposed to be calm and relaxing, and we got whales beign raped, but whatever.

I like different ideas like that.

I like the concepts of minimalism, especially in BM, because it's not atonal. It's WHOLLY tonal. The music never leaves the mode or chord sequence. It's a bunch of shifting, repeating, passages(see: Hvis Lyset Tar Oss) which create a hypnotic mood through intense repetition. The complexity and depth of expression through such an apparently simple technique is mind-boggling. It's still melody, even though it sounds like shapeless matter.

Could it be argued that the John Cage pice actually has melody?

 

[Cythraul]

I get the whole pretentious vibe from that...but I still think it's cool. I just like different ideas like that. I heard of an album (I think by Fates Warning) where the focus of the album is the self or personal issues, so every time the words "me" or "I" are mentioned in the lyrics, they're accentuated. That's pretty cool.

Yeah but Fates Warning actually makes music, y'know.

Some could also call () by Sigur Ros pretentious, but I liked the concept of an album with no song titles, no lyrics, nothing except a picture of kissing sausages and faint images of haggard trees. Of course, the music was supposed to be calm and relaxing, and we got whales beign raped, but whatever.

I've heard some Sigur Ros before and I really liked it. I don't know what album it was. They seem to play some kind of calm, somber minimalistic music with some Dead Can Dance influence and that's a good thing because I freaking love Dead Can Dance.

I like the concepts of minimalism, especially in BM, because it's not atonal. It's WHOLLY tonal. The music never leaves the mode or chord sequence. It's a bunch of shifting, repeating, passages(see: Hvis Lyset Tar Oss) which create a hypnotic mood through intense repetition. The complexity and depth of expression through such an apparently simple technique is mind-boggling. It's still melody, even though it sounds like shapeless matter.

I appreciate minimalism as well. I'm really into stuff like Ulver's Silencing the Singing ep and their Lyckantropen Themes soundtrack. To me that is really good, hypnotic and even emotionally affecting minimalism. I also like Burzum too. I prefer Filosofem to Hviss Lyset Tar Oss though.

Could it be argued that the John Cage pice actually has melody?

Not in the least. Well, come to think of it, you might be able to through some kind of elaborate play on words.

 

[no country for old wainds]

It could barely be argued that it's music, let alone that it has melody.

 

[Episteme]

It was probably an experimental piece and has no melody. Unfortunately I don't see the point of it, but I guess he had a pretty different idea to many. I'll stick to my other classical music.

 

[The_Evil_Gentleman]

It's good to add melodies in metal. I don't mind the aggressive stuff, but melody gives a certain atmosphere and plus it help you visualize in your imagination what this song could relate to you.

For example: Sentenced's instrumental Mourn, and it's an awesome instrumental that gives an amazing mood of saddness.