mechanical reproduction of music

An image of women in rich, classical dress singing by candlelight from sheets of music was featured on the cover of the Thomas A. Edison, Inc.’ 1915 catalog for Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs. The cover has a gold decorative pattern like that of a lavish Persian manuscript. The mechanical reproduction of music thus made a … Continue reading mechanical reproduction of music

musical stimulus package

With many economies heading into a depression, government-organized economic stimulus packages are attracting widespread attention.  Stimulation is imperative for encouraging gross national output.  But governments alone cannot provide sufficient stimulation.  And life is more than just economics. Perceptive observers and highly experienced persons report that stimulus packages come in many shapes, forms, and sizes. Uninformed … Continue reading musical stimulus package

musical cross-modal couplings

Most humans and at least one parrot like to dance.  That involves extracting the tempo from a song and projecting that tempo onto a regular pattern of non-sound-generating movement.  That projection occurs at a low cortical level of perception-action cycles.  Projection works in the opposite direction, too.  Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray’s Argument to Beethoven’s … Continue reading musical cross-modal couplings