Wednesday 23 November 2016

The past is unison, the present is dissonance, the future is harmonious multi-counterpoint (a musical analogy for the evolution of consciousness)

The earliest form of choral singing was unison - with every person singing the same melodic line - and example would be the simplest form of Gregorian chant -


Spiritually, this represents the pre-modern religious ideal of all Men leading the same life i obedience to God's Laws.

When music becomes harmonic, in block chords - but without much perceptible melody or independence of melodic lines. This could be taken to represent a society in which individuals have a choice of roles; but these roles are rigidly enforced in the interests of the overall harmonious effect:



What we have in modernity can be represented by each voice having an independent line (autonomy, agency, self-determination) but without any regard for the overall effect.

The consequence is dissonance - the clash between voices, leading to a perception of incoherence.


Dissonance was, perversely, embraced by the corruption of modernity as an ideal in its own right - even when there was no independence of voices, but block chords. So, the individual is symbolically denied independence and agency - but in-effect forced to participate in dissonance.

The future? - well perhaps it can musically be gestured-at by independence of voices - counterpoint - simultaneous with harmony; each person's agency symbolically combining with each other's in an overall harmony.

Of course this cannot be written down or composed, since that would be to deny the agency of the voices - the harmony derives from mutual, chosen Love of each with others.


(The above has 40 voices - with some contrapuntal aspects - albeit it is more homophonic, block-chordal than I imagine for the future.)


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