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What do education, cybernetics, music, technology and philosophy have in common?

Improvisation Blog

F r i d a y, 1 0 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

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Mark Johnson

Melody

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In Shannon and Weaver's "Mathematical Theory of Communication", Weaver gives a wonderful

quote from Arthur Eddington from "The nature of the physical world":
"Suppose that we were asked to arrange the following in two categories distance, mass, electric force, entropy, beauty, melody. I think there are the
strongest grounds for placing entropy alongside beauty and melody, and not
with the first three. Entropy is only found when the parts are viewed in
association, and it is by viewing or hearing the parts in association that beauty
and melody are discerned. All three are features of arrangement."
Weaver then comments that he believes Eddington would also allow the inclusion of
"meaning" along with beauty and melody (this is particularly interesting since Shannon - in
the main part of the book - explicitly excludes discussion about meaning, only concentrating
on information).
Both meaning and melody are
interesting me at the moment.
This morning I heard this very
famous melody of Mozart. It is
captivating - and I found myself
asking "why?"
D'Indy has a similar attitude to
melody as he does to tonality
(which I blogged about
here: http://dailyimprovisation.blogspot.com/2012/01/vincent-dindy-and-breath-ofmusic.html). D'Indy highlights the relationships between melody, rhythm and harmony, but
he generally sees in melodic phrasing a tightening - a making of effort - and a relaxing
movement (repos), much in the same way as the ascent up the cycle of 5ths and descent
down it produces a 'lightening' and 'darkening'. I think there's something in this, but I don't
find it as satisfactory an explanation as his thoughts about tonality.

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My feeling on hearing the melody from the Mozart piano concerto is clearly one of 'effort
making' and 'repose', but more fundamentally than that, it grabs my attention. It is this
'attention grabbing' - that melody acts as a thread by which the music can be traced, both as
it happens and in my mind, which fascinates me most. I am wondering whether this is an
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order for us to have a stake in it.

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Dr Mark William Johnson, University of Bolton

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There is a melody there too. But for many people listening to it, the experience of
'attachment' that I described for the Mozart will not be the same. There is something about
the sensual productions here which may indeed repel. But for others (perhaps those who
know the music), this is equally beautiful. Just as with the Mozart, we hang on every note,
every articulation - a performance is special and meaningful.
The question in all this is "what is the difference between the listeners that the attachment
to the melody is different?" That's a question for which I feel myself tentatively edging
towards a proposal.

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Posted by Mark Johnson at 10:02

1 comment:
@njhoughton said...
Terrific post Mark. I used a metaphor of innovation as a virtuoso performance and your
emphasis on melody and performance resonated with me ... chrz Neil
11 February 2012 at 21:45
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