Comments

Wow, I love that concept of negative space. It's something to think of perhaps even beyond music. I think I posted a quote from a radio show about something Stern said about saying "hello" and the importance of the spaces between the two syllabes and how you get there. But you said it so much better. Thank you for the insight! I'm a Howard Stern fan too. I'm a fan of Sterno; strained, not stirred. Hello, Emily! What a wonderful insight :-) I enjoy the tranquility of silence and rarely break it, when I have the choice. I always think that if silence should be broken, it should be by something that either holds an equal or greater meaning. I think that people rarely hold still anymore, and silence is something that causes increased discomfort and awkwardness for most. Stillness is confronting; it makes you hear your real thoughts. Some philosophies, like Zen, reach toward absolute nothingness as a form of self-actualization. I think that's a bit extreme, but it does underline the importance of solitude and silence. This entry reminds me of the Arvo Part piece Spiegel Im Spiegel, which isn't ever silent, but retains for me a sense of absolute peace and stillness nonetheless. Emily, your post is so interesting and beautifully written, too. Thank you for stimulating my thinking.

Someone I once knew told me that the most difficult things to play in music are pauses. In an old Billy Joel recording of Innocent Male, there is a great pause. No matter how many times I listen to the recording, I can't predict when the pause will end.

I, too, love silence and am reluctant to break it. One becomes aware of so many tiny sounds that would not be noticeable otherwise. I have this experience only in rural places. As a great Native American chief said, "There is no quiet place in the white man's cities." So sad, so true.