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My TripAdvisor Travel Map – Favorite Places I’ve Visited

1. Venice, Italy
2. San Francisco, CA, USA
3. Paris, France
4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
5. Prague, Czech Republic
6. Yosemite National Park, CA, USA
7. Oia, Greece
8. Santorini, Greece
9. Caprie, Italy
10. Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
11. New Orleans, LA, USA
12. St. Barthelemy, Caribbean
13. Seattle, WA, USA
14. Portland, OR, USA
15. New York City, NY, USA
16. Princeville, HI, USA

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How to Listen and Understand Great Music

I’m in the third chapter of a music ‘appreciation’ audio book by Robert Greenberg.  I quote the term ‘appreciation’ as Greenberg makes clear in the first chapter that his book is not simply about appreciation but rather the ability to understand and learn music.  I’m in the Middle Ages chapter where I have learned about the evolution of the single melodic tune to the polyphonic tune, a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices as opposed to just one voice, a monophony, or music with one dominant voice.

I learned that it was during the late Middle Ages when the concept of a composition, and hence, a composer was established.  The need to track and manage more than one melodic note at a time by the creator, the composer, dictated the need to create a language or scripture with which to define the tune.

I didn’t know that prior to this point, music was dominantly a monophony, a melody consisting of one note at a time,  and that music was communicated orally by the ancient Greeks and Romans rather than by a transcribed or written format.

The course has been especially engaging in learning about its growth from this era to the medieval period.  Music evolved from representing the humanistic, sensual voice during the greek and roman era to a very strict liturgical chant after the fall of the roman empire.  Greenberg states that this extreme stylistic change came about as a necessity by the Catholic church to establish control in the now seperated and wild Germanic states.  The Church came to represent the protectorate and preserver of art, history, and culture during what the medieval ages.  It was during this period that music became dominantly solemn, it is often known as Gregorian chants today although Greenberg is points out that ‘Gregorian’ is a misleading term, as Pope Gregory was not responsible for the creation of the single melodic chant.  Rather, Greenberg believes a more concise term would be ‘Plain Chant’.  Plain chant is the first revival of musical notation after knowledge of the ancient Greek music system was lost.  All humanistic forms of music was discouraged by the Church to ensure and enforce solemnity in an era of chaos and a disintermediate state.

How to Listen to and Understand Great Music