FanFaire: Percussion and Rhythm / Evelyn Glennie

Percussive instruments, objects that produce sound upon being struck, are the most primitive and hence oldest of our music-making tools. And yet, or perhaps as a consequence, their place in the history of Western classical music has been far from central or influential. As a corollary, rhythm has been the least creatively explored element in the development of Western music. We have Pythagoras and his fascination for mathematical invariance to blame for this neglect! His sixth century B.C. invention of the octave scale based on the definition of intervals by integer ratios is the keystone of both acoustical science and Western classical music. While the magnitude, potency and enduring value of these achievements are obvious- this webzine squats on the shoulders of the giants that crafted them - it may be argued that their heavy reliance on tone and its richness has eclipsed the vibrant possibilities of rhythm and meter. Rhythm is tactile and belongs to the realm of time. Pitch is perfect and tonal relationships are essentially immutable, static. But time flows, or stands still. Inextricably immersed in time, we experience it linearly or otherwise. Time, impermanent yet infinite in expanse and divisibility, is ultimately untameable, beyond rationalization. Anyone who has had to sight read a piece of contemporary music has surely noticed how western musical notation quite efficiently codifies melody and harmony, or the lack of such, but does a relatively poor job of depicting complex rhythms and uneven time structures.		The Evelyn Glennie Pages First Lady of Solo Percussion To center-stage Percussion, Rhythm, Time The music she plays Exhaust pipes & other instruments Hearing profoundly (I) Hearing profoundly (II) Shadow behind the iron sun Discography Calendar Update 2003 Fractured Lines UCLA Live 2007 Visit Evelyn Glennie's Website USA UK DE FR Buy sheet music Sign up: EMAIL UPDATE FREE CD! Store MusicPlanner New Releases Food & Music Audience Etiquette AudioFiles The Press Room about FanFaire SiteMap
First Lady To center stagePercussionThe music Exhaust pipes Calendar Hearing profoundly: (I) (II) Shadow Discography Fractured Lines UCLA Live Design and Original Content: FanFaire LLC © 1997-2007. All rights reserved.