tpter1

http://prorev.com/2006/01/new-chord-...ds-longest.htm

And my wife thought Mahler was long-winded!

jcstites

While interesting, I think it is not to be considered music.

To me that is just sound, that ends up being a chord in 600 years, whooptie doo!

Liad Bar-EL

I didn't see that anybody is recording this music.

Liad Bar-EL

Tootsall

They're working on a new Ipod that will hold the entire piece.

Annie

In music theory, we did this fun little thing where we had a group acting as an opposition to John Cage list reasons why his music wasn't really music, and then a group supporting John Cage list reasons why it was music. We then read these reasons one after another. Oddly enough, these two were in succession:

"This can only be music after you've drank too much."

"Yes."

tpter1

So, then, let's take this a step further and take John Cage's philosophy to task: (I am not advocating or ostrisizing John Cage...let's start with the students here first, please).

What exactly is music? How do you define the term "music" and what is it?

Derek Reaban

I’ve always liked this quote… “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture” – Steve Martin.

When I think of a definition of music I think, “Music is comprised of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color”

I also like the article by Craig Morris called Sound Sculpting that asks and answers your question about what music is.

I like this one too!
“My music is best understood by children and animals.” – Igor Stravinsky

And finally, related to that article about the “As SLow aS Possible” by John Cage:

“The principal of the endless melody is the perpetual becoming of a music that never had any reason for starting, any more than it had any reason for ending.” – Igor Stravinsky

someone

It's mindboggling if you think about it. Will there be anyone in 639 years to hear the piece? It's obvious that no one will hear the entire thing.

I'd love to see the score for this.

Martin Williams

We did a piece last year in the music school, and it was pretty funny. It was for piano, sax, and violin, and conductor. no real notes played, we plucked the inside of the piano some, squeaked the sax, and had the violin bow upside down - but when the conductor conducts the first note its over - starting tempo is quarter note equals 12 bpm!

mostly, its an excuse to see a conductor dance really funny while weird sounds come out of the instruments

of course, we can try Faeries Aire And Death Waltz (omg if any group did a rendering of this somehow, I would pay ANYTHING to see it)

Manny Laureano

I think that music has become synonomous with "creation of sound". I believe that there is a contingent of composers that feel that making a sound of any type is the same as music.

I disagree.

This is why I don't like pieces for tape (CD) and soloist or orchesra or band or whatever. The composers of the past didn't have those devices and had to rely on imagination and cleverness to imitate the sounds of nature or what have you. Vivaldi's "Seasons" are a masterwork for that very reason as is Beethoven's Pastoral, Strauss' "Alpine Symphony", and others that incorporate the sounds of nature.

I think defining something as esoteric as music is very difficult but who knows? Maybe by being simple and looking at the most fundamental aspects of music we'll find an answer.

ML