Silent Music

The contributions in this volume focus on the ways in which silence and music relate, contemplate each other and provide new avenues for addressing and gaining understanding of various realms of human endeavour. The book maps out this little-explored aspect of the sonic arena with the intention of defining the breadth of scope and to introduce interdisciplinary paths of exploration as a way forward for future discourse. Topics addressed include the idea of 'silent music' in the work of English philosopher Peter Sterry and Spanish Jesuit St John of the Cross; the apparently paradoxical contemplation of silence through the medium of music by Messiaen and the relationship between silence and faith; the aesthetics of Susan Sontag applied to Cage's idea of silence; silence as a different means of understanding musical texture; ways of thinking about silences in music produced during therapy sessions as a form of communication; music and silence in film, including the idea that music can function as silence; and the function of silence in early chant. Perhaps the most all-pervasive theme of the book is that of silence and nothingness, music and spirituality: a theme that has appeared in writings on John Cage but not, in a broader sense, in scholarly writing. The book reveals that unexpected concepts and ways of thinking emerge from looking at sound in relation to its antithesis, encompassing not just Western art traditions, but the relationship between music, silence, the human psyche and sociological trends - ultimately, providing deeper understanding of the elemental places both music and silence hold within world philosophies and fundamental states of being. Silence, Music, Silent Music will appeal to those working in the fields of musicology, psychology of religion, gender studies, aesthetics and philosophy.

This book shows the influence of medieval musical manuscripts on the articulation of national identity in Enlightenment Spain. For the eighteenth century Jesuit Andres Marcos Burriel (1719-1762) and his associate the calligrapher Francisco Palomares (1728-1796), the notation that preserved the music of the past was a central source in the study of history.

In Silent Music, Julian Wolfreys (noted academic with a passion for the three languages of words, music and the imagination) brings together a group of musicians and Annagreth, a young German 'blow-in', in the uncomfortable dreamscape of the Isle of Wight in the late 1970s.

"Beginning with a historical essay on the phenomenon of mysticism, Silent Music chronicles St. John's life story - from his humble birth in 1542, through his career as a professional religious, to his death in 1591 - placing the man and his spirituality squarely in their historical-cultural context. Herrera probes the saint's rigorous life of contemplation and his classic writings on such subjects as union with God and the "dark night of the soul," clarifying St. John's understanding of the mystical experience and paying particular attention to the notion of detachment and the recurring motifs of darkness, flame, and ascent in St. John's writings. His careful analysis of St. John's thought is enriched with examples from philosophy, psychology, literature, spirituality, and art - material not usually found in such a study.".

In August 1988, I had been cleaning out a room in my house where furniture and miscellaneous items were stored. It was during this time that I discovered an old, unused canvas that I had bought many years ago from an artist-friend, long deceased. It was a Saturday afternoon, and mainly to get away from having to make decisions on what I was going to keep and throw away, I decided that I would begin a painting. I am a very, very amateur painter, and a bad one, at that. I gathered paint, brushes and canvas and proceeded to a shed behind the house that had been used as a shelter for two of my largest dogs. I had no idea of what I was going to sketch as I painted the background white. As I stood there, with brush in hand, "something" caused my hand to begin painting on the wet background. I was puzzled because I don't begin painting until the background is completely dry and that takes several days when oil paint is used. My hand was moving fast--fast--faster and faster, and I was visually having difficulty keeping up with the speed of the brush. I felt that I was only an onlooker and had no doubt that it was not I who was forming this picture, whatever it was. And what was it, anyway? The outline of the painting had been formed, and now my hand moved without any effort, as if guided by some force. The picture was being filled in now, my hand moving with the speed of a swordsman. "A Study in Scarlet?" Sir Arthur Doyle? What? The outline of three strange birds was rapidly appearing on the canvas. The painting was completed in less than an hour. During the painting, the idea for this book formed in my mind. For those of you who will say, or would have said,. "Well, he must have been reading stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle and had that on his mind-Not so! Wrong. I had not read anything by A. Conan Doyle in many years. And all that I knew about Sir Doyle was that he was the author of Sherlock Holmes stories and had lived in England. But what about the three birds? Did they have any significance? Could they represent Doyle--i.e., Holmes, Watson, and Professor Moriarity? Maybe. I really don't know. What I do know is that I don't paint birds. Was this an "automatic painting?" Did some spirit finally complete an unfinished work - interrupted by an unexpected demise? Could the incident be duplicated if I took an old canvas, paint and brush again to the shed in the back of the house on an August day in 2088? That would be 200 years since the first Ripper murder. But wait! I wouldn't be around then, and neither would you. Oh, well, who knows, maybe I will come back just to complete my own painting--but it won't be of birds, I assure you. I hope that you enjoy the book. I have a way of knowing.

The contributions in this volume focus on the ways in which silence and music relate, contemplate each other and provide new avenues for addressing and gaining understanding of various realms of human endeavour. The book maps out this little-explored aspect of the sonic arena with the intention of defining the breadth of scope and to introduce interdisciplinary paths of exploration as a way forward for future discourse. Topics addressed include the idea of 'silent music' in the work of English philosopher Peter Sterry and Spanish Jesuit St John of the Cross; the apparently paradoxical contemplation of silence through the medium of music by Messiaen and the relationship between silence and faith; the aesthetics of Susan Sontag applied to Cage's idea of silence; silence as a different means of understanding musical texture; ways of thinking about silences in music produced during therapy sessions as a form of communication; music and silence in film, including the idea that music can function as silence; and the function of silence in early chant. Perhaps the most all-pervasive theme of the book is that of silence and nothingness, music and spirituality: a theme that has appeared in writings on John Cage but not, in a broader sense, in scholarly writing. The book reveals that unexpected concepts and ways of thinking emerge from looking at sound in relation to its antithesis, encompassing not just Western art traditions, but the relationship between music, silence, the human psyche and sociological trends - ultimately, providing deeper understanding of the elemental places both music and silence hold within world philosophies and fundamental states of being. Silence, Music, Silent Music will appeal to those working in the fields of musicology, psychology of religion, gender studies, aesthetics and philosophy.

The most comprehensive documentation on Minard's unique works between sound art and acoustic design since 1980.

The Silent Song displays a collection of poems where the author is showing another step, another level in his quest toward reaching spiritual growth and maturity. In that sense, it can be considered as a complement to what has started in the authors previously published poetry book, Gemstone. The author uses his skills in poetry to depict a rich spiritual life where despite the tests and trials of life, one can keep his composure, tame his spirit and maintain an inner peace. Ones life always speaks louder than just his words. A silent preacher living a righteous and holy life can say more by his actions than an eloquent one that relies mainly on his words to influence people around him. Someone once said, Id rather see a sermon than hear one. In this regard, may The Silent Song be an inspiration to you all. Other publications by Dr. Jol Hilaire include: On the Other Side of the Desk (2005), based on a true story Fantaisie de ma Jeunesse (2011 French poetry) Ye Are the Body of Christ (2017), a medico-theological book Gemstone (2018), poetry