Ted Gioia's writing is fascinating. I'm surprised there was no mention of memory. Apart from music's magical qualities, it served as a memory device. The Greeks had papyrus, a definite improvement over say chiseling text into a piece of rock or earth. But until the printing press, making copies was a tedious affair. Much knowledge was tr…
Ted Gioia's writing is fascinating. I'm surprised there was no mention of memory. Apart from music's magical qualities, it served as a memory device. The Greeks had papyrus, a definite improvement over say chiseling text into a piece of rock or earth. But until the printing press, making copies was a tedious affair. Much knowledge was transmitted orally, and there were many tricks to assist. Hexameter would be one of them, for that culture. So would repetition and rhymes. have the same today, although rap ain't my thing. Try memorizing the words to "Rapper's Delight" without the propulsion of the beat? I assume at some point poetry divorced itself from music somewhat, but we're always told to read it aloud with the proper cadence? The great lyricists choose words so each line has a certain flow into the previous and following?
Dreams. I just finished reading Robert Crumb's illustrated text of the Book of Genesis. Wanted to check it out before sending a copy to my niece who just wrapped up her first year at Tulane and quite talented at drawing. An old soul interested in great music from decades before like jazz unlike the vast majority of her age cohort. Dreams figure so prominently, especially in the figure of Joseph. Foundational even, as 1/4 of Genesis is devoted to Joseph's story. I'm not terribly familiar with the New Testament, but I don't recall any stories of dreams. Maybe Saul/Paul on the way to Damascus or something? Anyway, could this represent the shift away from the importance of dreams into something more "rational?" Even though personally I don't believe any of those religious stories?
The serendipity has been running so strong in my life recently, like reading this after finishing Crumb's book. One example after another. Makes me wonder, because I like to say I'm not into any woo-woo.
That seems like an important point: that when the written word (or printing press) was developed, it was a game changer. Before this time, chanting and songs were much more entwined with philosophy, etc. Songs and chanting were needed for posterity, and probably other purposes, as Ted says.
Ted Gioia's writing is fascinating. I'm surprised there was no mention of memory. Apart from music's magical qualities, it served as a memory device. The Greeks had papyrus, a definite improvement over say chiseling text into a piece of rock or earth. But until the printing press, making copies was a tedious affair. Much knowledge was transmitted orally, and there were many tricks to assist. Hexameter would be one of them, for that culture. So would repetition and rhymes. have the same today, although rap ain't my thing. Try memorizing the words to "Rapper's Delight" without the propulsion of the beat? I assume at some point poetry divorced itself from music somewhat, but we're always told to read it aloud with the proper cadence? The great lyricists choose words so each line has a certain flow into the previous and following?
Dreams. I just finished reading Robert Crumb's illustrated text of the Book of Genesis. Wanted to check it out before sending a copy to my niece who just wrapped up her first year at Tulane and quite talented at drawing. An old soul interested in great music from decades before like jazz unlike the vast majority of her age cohort. Dreams figure so prominently, especially in the figure of Joseph. Foundational even, as 1/4 of Genesis is devoted to Joseph's story. I'm not terribly familiar with the New Testament, but I don't recall any stories of dreams. Maybe Saul/Paul on the way to Damascus or something? Anyway, could this represent the shift away from the importance of dreams into something more "rational?" Even though personally I don't believe any of those religious stories?
The serendipity has been running so strong in my life recently, like reading this after finishing Crumb's book. One example after another. Makes me wonder, because I like to say I'm not into any woo-woo.
That seems like an important point: that when the written word (or printing press) was developed, it was a game changer. Before this time, chanting and songs were much more entwined with philosophy, etc. Songs and chanting were needed for posterity, and probably other purposes, as Ted says.