I was
very intrigued by the newest reading's focus on silence as a means of
expression, one that is often stronger than sound. In the beginning of the
section, one of the passages that spoke most to me was "the recognition of
the area of shadow in or around the work is the initial moment of
criticism" (pg. 15). I think that what the text is getting at is that
criticism begins the moment we stop focusing on what something is and begin
focus on what it could be or what it is not.
Later, the
text discusses silence as a means of shaping speech and "as a source of
expression" (pg. 17). In reading the text, I could not help but to go
beyond speech and think about silence as it pertains to music as well. As you
will learn about me, I am a firm believer that music is just as strong of a
communication tool as speech, simply because music is able to capture raw
emotion and tell stories in way words cannot. In the documentary, Classic Albums: Pink Floyd - The Making of
The Dark Side of the Moon there us a very powerful interview where the band
explains that through playing together they had discovered that their music was
more about the notes that they did not play – “the shadows”, if you will. They
utilize extensive open space throughout the album, and the music would not tell
the same story if they filled those auditory voids with lyrics or notes.
Through casting these “shadows,” the band allows the listener to focus on those
shadows and find the meaning of the work in what is not.
Here is a link to the documentary:
Here is a link to the album in its entirety:
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