Motion Yielding to Stillness

Pause.  Observe the moment now.  Where there is stillness there will be storm, followed again by stillness.

The sounds of the Primeval are always present, interrupted only by the stormy and dramatic, the peal of thunder or the rush of the crowd.  Afterwards, there is not silence.  Listen and hear the innumerable sounds and movements within the clarity of stasis and balance.

In composition, this is aural beauty on the periphery of music, everywhere tones moving in lines and clusters, emerging and proceeding in non-melodic paths and patterns, reflecting the reality of natural settings and undisturbed cultural atmospheres.

Culture, Focus, Tone, Expression

The impact of environmental factors upon consciousness is a continuing variable in the long and short term, and one that should not be disparaged; nor should the contribution and importance of sound to setting be ignored.

Integrity of character, intellect, and emotional balance are obtained with due effort and sacrifice, and maintained by discretion, discernment, and force of will, while time and again one must defend these exacting qualities against the frailty and corruption intrinsic to human nature.  Reason demands that choices be made; lack of reason does not.

Art often serves to reflect this struggle, directly and implicitly in a multitude of ways.  This includes the sounds and imagery of the cultural atmosphere and surroundings.

Resonance and Action

Sonic imagery emerges in the awareness of listener and composer.

Perception and imagination yield aural impressions at once real and uncanny.

Finally. connections form between memory and sensory experience, concepts to be articulated through diverse artistic media, resources, and methods.

Stir of Impressions II

Emptiness will be filled, then emptied, to be filled again.

In composing, ask what sounds complement settings, with their spaces, objects, shapes, and colors. Choose these tones accordingly, set them in motion through gestures harmonious with the elements in place, and hear them settle into the silences before flowing away into memory.

Awareness, Intent, Spectrum

What sounds are actually perceived in any setting often make up an infinitesimal part of the whole of the aural environs.

In any setting, consciously pause, absorb, and identify sounds and their sources, and in doing so refine the capacity for discernment of spatial relationships, movement, tone, and meaning.

This receptivity is innate, and potentially may be developed to a high degree of realization in hearing and listening; moreover, sound designs and musical compositions reflecting such atmospheric realities are possible as well.

Cause, Effect, Mind

Consciousness acts as a filter.  It absorbs, and it projects.

The listener's state of mind may be altered by music, or it may alter the perception of music.

These are attitudes accorded to music, and not necessarily expectations related to myriad sounds experienced within settings or atmospheres generally. These latter may be perceived more openly and directly, and, from my vantage point as a composer, are of greatest interest.

Formlessness

Conformity applies to unconventional expectations as well as those that adhere to standard norms.

The way of the artist is one of perception, contemplation, reflection, and expression-- and indifference to expectations.