Podcast. A series of spoken essays.
Beyond the Bony Labyrinth: because the sound that enters our ears only becomes music when we recognize it. Music appeals to our memory, emotions, imagination, and capacity for language.
Philosophy: because it deals with the connections between music and other aspects of life, with clarification, and dispelling smoke screens.
Many of the topics of the blog on this website will be covered in this podcast, such as: the relation between music and language, between music and memory, and the limits of what music is or can be.
This podcast is has now started in its Dutch version (Voorbij de oren). The English version is, for now, only available as a pilot of three episodes. With your support, it will soon be continued.
Beyond the Bony Labyrinth can be found on this website and on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, Pocket Casts and Deezer.
1. How Durable is Classical Music?
A preface to the series. Thoughts on the demise of classical music in contemporary culture.
2. Darling, They’re Playing Our Tune (DTPOT)
Topic: memory. Music has a special ability to trigger memories. DTPOT, ‘our tune’, was introduced more or less as a joke in music psychology, but is now a technical term. It is also an inexhaustible dramaturgical tool in film, opera etc.
3. That Wild Waltz of Von Weber’s: Involuntary Encounters with an Obstinate Tune
Topic: memory. The tune known as ‘Weber’s last musical thought’ is not by Carl Maria von Weber, but it is nevertheless an interesting piece of cultural history. With forays into the works of Kierkegaard, E.A. Poe, Debussy, and a rendition of Erik Satie’s Avant-dernière pensée no. 2.
Upcoming episodes:
Why Music Is Not a Language… But People Keep Saying It Is
Musical Quotations Marks 1: I’ll hum it for you
Musical Quotation marks 2: Nimm sie hin, denn
Music Plus/Minus Words
Bach on the Piano: The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903
Music of the Spinning Wheel
Europa, Music for the Film by Stefan en Franciszka Themerson (1931)
The Fine Art of Mickey-Mousing
To be continued.
I offer this podcast to listeners for free. Making it takes some inspiration, a lot of enthusiastic labour, a lifetime of experience and a bit of money. If you’re interested, please consider making a donation. It will help to continue the podcast and means a great incentive for the author.
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