Wrong type of music impaires the task performance and right type improves it:
Dear S. Béatrice Marianne Ewalds-Kvist
Thanks for forwarding your interesting research. I'd like to hear more from you on your conclusions. You mention on page 110 "In general, music prevents stress-induced increase in heart rate and systolic blood pressure, more so than silence". My question is, why should we view silence as the opposite of music? What happens with music that features silences?
Article The Use of Silence in Selected Compositions by Frédéric Devr...
Conference Paper Textural Diversity through Silence: Increasing Contrast in P...
Conference Paper Analysis of the Constructive Functions of Notated and Acoust...
Silence is not the opposite to music, silence is a powerful tool in a composition.
Dear S. Béatrice Marianne Ewalds-Kvist
Thanks for your reply.
"Silence is a powerful tool in a composition". Absolutely, I agree. In this context, what musical functions can you think of for silence?
I'd like to recommend the research of Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis (2007). Silences in Music are Musical Not Silent: An Exploratory Study of Context Effects on the Experience of Musical Pauses. https://online.ucpress.edu/mp/article/24/5/485/95245/Silences-in-Music-are-Musical-Not-Silent-An
I’m studying music in/as ritual, for example religious music. In this context, I believe the listener can use the liminal space in silence to access their experience of the ineffable. The ineffable quality of music strongly correlates with the ineffable in religious experience. What action research might call the ”epiphany” moment of new insight and understanding. I am so moved by John Cage’s definition of music as “sounds heard”, implying that a co-creation, with the listener, happens between sound, silence, and music.
Dear Anna Tebbet
Many thanks for sharing your ideas on silence from perspective of listening and music as a ritual. Apart from John Cage, do you recommend any other composers that have made a significant usage of silence in this regard?
As a music therapist, I believe the silence can work like a great communication resource. During a Music Therapy session, before an improvisation, for example, sometimes the space which gives the silence is really necessary for people to feel the presence of the group and to connect with their feelings and the experience they are living. Thank you for this question, so interesting! :-)
@Bohdan Syroyid Syroyid, it's my view that not enough composers honour the liminal space, created through silence. Gorecki and Tavener spring to mind. It's about pushing your aesthetic into your listeners' ears, versus engaging your listener in a shared liminal space, where your 'sounds produced' join with their 'sounds heard' to create music. I imagine it takes a degree of humility, to allow your music to be co-created. I know it sounds a bit pseudy, but I truly believe music has functions beyond purely aesthetic when viewed this way. Can the audience tell the difference? I believe so, Lionel Dakers (RSCM) thought so. Fascinating question, thank you!
Dear Alberto Acebes-de-Pablo
Many thanks for sharing your experience as music therapist. Usually, how long does this pre-therapy silence last? Have you tried measuring an ideal duration for a silence to develop "the presence of the group and to connect with their feelings and the experience they are living."
Dear Anna Tebbet
Thanks for bringing in the spiritual minimalists. I believe that Henryk Górecki and John Tavener are good examples of composers that used evoked silence by means of sounds. Perhaps this usage of sounding silence can be traced back to religious music of Olivier Messiaen.
According to Serena Wang (2013): "Evoked silence occurs when the composer creates the effect of silence through sounding material. Some characteristics of silence are stasis, stillness, and emptiness. In Messiaen’s “Regard du silence,” silence is analogous to faith, which Messiaen evokes through very slow tempo, soft dynamics, and harmonic stasis" (p. 11)
Wang, S. (2013). The Aesthetics of Silence in the Works of Federico Mompou, Chou Wen Chung, and George Crumb (Master's Thesis at the University of Cincinnati, Division of Composition, Music History, and Theory of the College-Conservatory of Music). https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=ucin1378195060&disposition=inline
Thank you Bohdan for your answer. It always depends on the group, and it gives a lot of information about the situation and its attitude. Sometimes people need to feel the space and the silence for 2-3 minutes, or maybe a person feels fear of silence and suddenly begins the improvisation experience, for example. I never think about measuring that time because it’s always different for each group, and it always reflects the necessity of the group. It is important not to lead too much during this magic and unique moment, so that the group can freely communicate and express.
Hi Alberto, I'm fascinated by your answer about subjectivities around silence. I consider this the problem of shared and individual liminal space, in the same musical moment; how can the church musician facilitate the collective ritual, in order to honour the individual/shared liminal space without the musical flow descending into cacophony? I don't know the answer, other than to be aware, sensitive, allow the silence wherever possible. I'm also interested in acoustic phenomena which can allay, preempt or mitigate folks' fear of silence. We know that sounds directly affect the nervous system via the vagus, so I feel we have a duty of care, given how much noise can be created with the pipe organ!
Dear Bohdan, thanks for the link to Serena Wang and her interesting work. Stokowski said musician paint their pictures on silence, I love that! Silence as dynamic, part of the creative impulse. Your work is fascinating!
Dear Alberto Acebes-de-Pablo
Many thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that measuring time can become problematic as perception of time may vary widely from one person to another. I have another question though, by saying 2-3 minutes, do you mean that they are silently waiting (not engaging in any type of small talk) as in a collective meditation? I'm asking this question because I see that you wrote "It is important not to lead too much during this magic and unique moment, that the group can freely communicate and express".
Dear Anna Tebbet
Many thanks for presenting the captivating quote by Leopold Stokowski. I'd like to retrieve the full citation from wikiquote:
"A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence." Leopold Stokowski addressing an audience at Carnegie Hall, as quoted in The New York Times (11 May 1967); often this is quoted without the humorous final sentence.
In spite of the humorous final remark, I'd like to point out that the idea of silence as an empty canvas on top of which sounds are being laid out has been also previously discussed by the polish musicologist Zofia Lissa (1962/1964): "The work itself-the flow of sound-structures arranged in successive phases and extending between the pre- and post-performance silence-is played against a background of silence" (p. 445)
Lissa, Z. (1964). Aesthetic Functions of Silence and Rests in Music (E. Tarska, Trans.). The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 22(4), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.2307/427936 (Original work published 1962)
Within popular music genres the minimalist aesthetic became more pronounced through the mid to late 1970s. As we entered the 1980s pop music production really concentrated on the space between the notes, where reverb/ delay etc held as equal importance as the notes themselves. Eno's ambient genre helped to propel this forward and is still a constant within pop music production. Within 'classical' music then Arvo Part altered his style to embrace silence.
Dear Simon Strange
Thanks for bringing in the contemporary ambient music of Brian Eno. I find "Thursday Afternoon" a particularly fascinating composition. It seems to have a direct rapport with the Tintinnabuli style of Arvo Pärt. However, silences also can have a very dramatic effect. Silences can enhance contrast. Next, I would like to provide a selected list of pop/rock songs that make use of a more dramatic silence to enrich this discussion:
• 1965. The Beach Boys. The Little Girl I Once Knew.
• 1965. The Who. My Generation
• 1966. Four tops. Bernadette
• 1966. Jimi Hendrix. Foxy Lady
• 1966. The Mommas & The Pappas. Monday, Monday.
• 1966. The Rolling Stones. Ruby Tuesday
• 1967. Buffalo Springfield. Bluebird
• 1967. The Doors. Light My Fire
• 1967. The Zombies. Time Of The Season
• 1968. Cream. White Room.
• 1969. The Monkees. Listen to the Band
• 1970. Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky)
• 1973. The Doobies Brothers. Long Train Runnin’
• 1975. David Bowie. Young Americans
• 1978. The Police. Roxanne
• 1979. Queen. Don’t Stop Me Now
• 1980. The Beat. Ranking Full Stop
• 1983. Daryl Hall & John Oates. Say It Isn’t So
• 1983. Queen. I Want to Break Free.
• 1984. Daryl Hall & John Oates. Out of Touch
• 1984. Prince. Purple Rain.
• 1984. Tones On Tail. Real Life
• 1985. Prince. Kiss.
• 1985. Simple Minds. Alive and Kicking
• 1985. Steve Wonder. Part-Time Lover
• 1985. The Replacements. Can’t Hardly Wait
• 1987. George Michael. Faith
• 1987. U2. One Tree Hill
• 1988. Fugazi. Waiting Room
• 1988. Roxette. The Look
• 1989. Rush. Show Don’t Tell
• 1989. The B-52’s. Love Shack
• 1989. The Stone Roses. I am the Resurrection
• 1990. Jane’s Addiction. No One Leaving
• 1991. Big Audio Dynamite. Rush
• 1991. REM. Radio Song
• 1992. Suede. Metal Mickey
• 1992. Tori Amos. Tear In Your Hand
• 1993. Nine Inch Nails. March of the Pigs
• 1994. Van Morrison. Wild Night
• 1995. Supervixen. Garbage.
• 1997. Foo Fighters. Monkey Wrench.
• 1997. Semisonic. Closing Time
• 1999. Prince. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
• 2000. Cake. Short Skirt / Long Jacket
• 2001. The Frames. Mighty Sword
• 2001. The Strokes. Hard to Explain
• 2002. Maroon 5. Secret
• 2003. Electric Six. Improper Dancing
• 2004. Sia. Breathe Me
• 2004. The Decemberists. The Mariner’s Revenge Song
• 2005. Sleater Kinney. Rollercoaster
• 2007. Justice. Phantom Pt II - †
• 2009. NOFX: Please Play This Song on the Radio
• 2010. The Black Keys. Ten Cent Pistol
• 2011. Ben Howard. Old Pine • 2011. Gavin DeGraw. Not over You
• 2011. Opeth. The Devil’s Orchard.
• 2011. The Black Keys. Little Black Submarine.
• 2012. James Blake. I am sold
• 2013. Miley Cyrus. Wrecking Ball.
• 2014. Code Orange. I Am King.
• 2018. Artic Monkeys. Found Out of Five.
Most of the time, silence can signal a time of creating anticipation for what is to follow such that it can momentary facilitate deep thoughts as one connects, even if momentarily, with the surrounding musical environment. It can adding an emphasis to the relationship between different parts of the instrumental forces employed, hence, it creates significant impact on the listener. In some cultures, a fraction of silence in a rhythm can create a syncopated effect which heightens the feeling of the performer and the listener.
Dear William William Obaga
Many thanks for your input. I agree with the points you make:
1. Silence creates anticipation in the listener
"The silence preceding performance is that of expectancy" (Lissa, 1962/1964, p. 445)
2. A fraction of silence in a rhythm can create a syncopated effect
"The way a rest cooperates in fathering musical phenomena is seen best in its cooperation with metric and rhythmic elements. A pause on the strong beat of one part, or the entire texture, provides the very foundation of syncopation. Syncopation can be produced by using other devices: nevertheless, the rest is the most frequently used device, becoming a wide spread phenomenon in jazz music. [...] A pause becomes an indispensable prerequisite for the formation of specific rhythmic designs" (Lissa, 1962/1964, p. 451)
Reference
Lissa, Z. (1964). Aesthetic Functions of Silence and Rests in Music (E. Tarska, Trans.). The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 22(4), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.2307/427936 (Original work published 1962)
Dear Bohdan, thanks for putting flesh to bones, ie., providing references that correspond with my thoughts on silence in music.
Interesting question and diverse views. Here is another thought.
Music audio compared with speech:
Music and speech are basically used to communicate in auditory form, we can find some similarities. Silence in music can be mapped to pause during speech. It provides meaning depending on short or long relative silence. Similar to comma and full stop in language. It indicates end of one sentence/ musical phrase and beginning of other. It also provides required breathing space for the singer/speaker/ performer.
Dear Bohdan! Thanks for your answer. Yes, that is exaclty what I meant. That silent time gives the space that people need to feel connected and emotionally decide how to communicate and relate to others within the groups experience. Good discussion we are making regarding this question!
Hello
When language became incapacitated, music was born.
Music can say things it can't. At the height of love, only music can express this feeling, and at the peak of sorrow, only music can make our souls happy. Interestingly, music does not make sense without silence. But in rhythm music, there is exactly silence, the distance between these two notes. There is silence in this distance and this silence creates music.
Dear Makarand Velankar
Interesting thoughts about the functions of silence in music and speech. The following research my be of your interest
"Silences can make or break the conversation: if two persons involved in a conversation have different ideas about the typical length of pauses, they will face problems with turn taking. Pauses occur in conversation for a number of reasons, for example for breathing, thinking, word-searching and turn taking management. In this dissertation, we explore the production and perception of pauses in speech. Our aim consists of three main parts: to describe and analyse the production of pauses, to investigate the perception of pauses, and to examine the role of pauses in turn-taking. Our hypothesis is that pauses fill varying functions, and that these functions depend on the context of the pauses. We believe that the duration of pauses may be linked to the pause type, and that we adapt the our pause lengths to the persons we are speaking to. Further, we suggest that pauses occur regularly throughout dialogues. We also hypothesise that the duration of pauses in speech affect the processing of speech. Pauses are tied to the process of turn taking, and as we learn more about the nature of pauses we may also be able to further develop our understanding of the process of turn holding and turn yielding. We will also be able to use the information about pause production and perception when modelling turn taking in dialogue systems. Our results show that pause lengths vary greatly across speakers, pause types and dialogues. Pauses tend to be entrained by speakers involved in dialogues, and pauses occur regularly throughout conversations. We also found evidence that pauses have a positive impact on memorising spoken utterances. While speakers adapt their pause lengths to the other speaker in the conversation, they are inclined to keep a consistent ratio between pause types, and this is not dependent on the conversational partner. While it is interesting to look at pauses separately, we need to put them into context to really understand their functions. To highlight the role of pauses in conversation, we proposed an updated turn taking model, where the results from our studies are integrated." (Lundholm Fors, 2015, pt. Abstract)
Lundholm Fors, K. (2015). Production and Perception of Pauses in Speech ( Doctoral dissertation in linguistics, University of Gothenburg). https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/39346/1/gupea_2077_39346_1.pdf
Dear Alberto Acebes-de-Pablo
Many thanks for your feedback regarding music therapy and the role of silence. I would like to invite you to share your thoughts on my doctoral dissertation in musicology on the analysis of silence in music.
Thesis Analysis of Silences in Music: Theoretical Perspectives, Ana...
Dear Mohammad Ali Falamarz
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on rhythm and silence. I would like to bring in the following two quotes by Zofia Lissa.
"Silence adheres to the metric and rhythmic rules governing the relevant section of the composition-a device measurable in terms of rhythmic values, which may sometimes supplement the rhythmic flow of sounds and complete the metric design" (Lissa, 1962/1964, p. 445)
"If, according to present day judgments of musical aesthetics, the alliance between motion and rest, between suspense and relief constitutes the very core of music's development, as much can be said about the relationship between silence and the sound fabric: it is the dialectic unity between them that shapes musical speech, that moulds the harmonic and architectonic elements, dynamic phenomena, rhythm, texture, and articulation, or in other words, the raw material of which music is music is made" (Lissa, 1962/1964, p. 445)
Lissa, Z. (1964). Aesthetic Functions of Silence and Rests in Music (E. Tarska, Trans.). The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 22(4), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.2307/427936 (Original work published 1962)
Bohdan Syroyid Syroyid , hi. This thread has proved inspirational to me, as I've continued to study and explore music education, liminality and eudaemonia. I want, therefore, to focus on the silences between the sounds, rather than the sounds themselves (except as a force to take us towards the silent spaces
), in my music masters dissertation. Does this qualify as musicology, or something else? I need to demonstrates to my supervisor that I'm basing my research in Music...!
Dear Anna Tebbet
Many thanks for your message. It's great to hear that my research topic has somehow inspired your dissertation. I believe that you have a beautiful topic for your master's dissertation. If you wish to focus your study on silences, there is a plethora of authors that argue how silences are musical. Therefore, studying silences is studying music. If you need precise references, I encourage you to have a quick glance at Chapter One of my doctoral dissertation
Thesis Analysis of Silences in Music: Theoretical Perspectives, Ana...
I would like to wish you best of success in your research!
Dear Bohdan, this makes me overjoyed, thank you so much for your reply and your encouragement! I absolutely love my work, it gives me immense (quiet) joy. So, I'm happy to feel I am in good company, with other musicologists happy to study the spaces between the notes..
Dear Bohdan, I actually wrote a paper about this subject last year - about how unmeasured silences can be used to frame pieces and measured silences can be used to structure them. I've put it on Research gate and here's the link: Article Conducting Silence: The use of conducted and measured silenc...
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Thomas
Dear Thomas Moore
Many thanks for forwarding your research paper. I'll make sure to read it thoroughly.
In relation to conducting, I'd like to share some thoughts of my thoughts on Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
https://youtu.be/vnz4T33Jl7I?t=45
This is the only total silence in this piece and yet it determines the magical and surreal character of the composition. In Riemann's terms, it seems more appropriate to regard this silence as an inner-rest, because the music that follows is similar to the music that precedes it. Here, the context, harmonically is non-functional, but we have a dominant ninth chord (Bb9) which is not resolved but rather dissolved into silence. It is as if the silence is holding the tension, perhaps a plateau of negative dynamics. Sounds keep ringing during the silence. This silence can be viewed as an example of an anti-rhythmic silence, and anti-end-accented silence. It increases deliberation and usually, it is not even properly measured (it's duration is either extended or contracted). Also, the beginning of the silence is not very clearly delimited because sounds progressively fade out into silence. I am very interested in examining how different conductors conduct this silence. Have a look at the following:
Roth https://youtu.be/jlLoXvamfZw?t=38
Bernstein https://youtu.be/EvnRC7tSX50?t=43
Rattle https://youtu.be/CipRfYTwd0s?t=38
Celibidache https://youtu.be/SbWvZnVOLSs?t=68
Dutoit https://youtu.be/ZlIJ4eGWth0?t=52
I analyze in some more depth the formal implications of this silence in pages 27-28 of Analysis of silences in music https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.23953.86884/2
Best wishes,
Bohdan
Maybe we should try and put together an edited chapter of articles on silence. That would be cool from the various perspectives within different music genres and positions from composer, performer, conductor, producer, audience etc..
Dear Simon Strange
Thanks for your idea. I think that it can be interesting to published an edited book on the functions of silences in music for 2021. Music researchers interested in participating with a chapter, please write to [email protected]
Silence enhances sound - absence increases our interest. Also, by waiting we are more engaged with what comes, when it comes.
Diana Ambache
www.womenofnote.co.uk
In eastern philosophy, the NAAD ( the sound ) is the cause of every music, so, there are 7 notes. In-depth, there are two types of Naad: Aahat Naad and Anahat Naad. Aahat Naad the sound which can be used to originate a piece of music is created through friction between objects like string and finger, air and flute hole, etc. But Anaahat Naad is not produced through stroke, friction, but exists in reality. Anahat Naad cant be used to create the music, rather it can be felt by your heart and mind. For example, if your close your ear, you can listen to conch sound inside yourself. Likewise, when one meditates deeply, certain sound can be felt, which one can feel but other not. Likely, peace or silence have also certain sound.
Silence or pauses in music or speech is like a canvas or background on which artist or speaker present the art. They are necessary fillers to provide end of one phrase and start of new phrase. The meaning of small duration silence is like a pause in between and long duration silence is like end of one concept. Both are relative. To conclude, silence is necessary filler in music performances.
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