Analysis for Composers #26 - On Silence

[@DeGuerre]

"A rest is never a wrong note." - Charles Villiers Stanford

[@marnixpeeters2675]

Silence in music greatly reminds me of telling stories by a campfire. The way you use silence in those kinds of stories is very similar in effect. Maybe a good working tip is to imagine whatever your musical material to be like it's being "told" to a small audience, and how you'd apply silence to evoke any effect through talking in a certain manner.

[@robertross7491]

Imagine in your first example - a film starts 5 secs of a man walking in the countryside then black - then five secs of a woman at a typewriter typing then black - then say a child playing in the dirt leading to more continuous action ; the snapshots you see are the materials of the film, perhaps the child grows into the man or woman. As such this laying down of materials is a valid approach and while the semi regular train of 8ths make the stop abrupt it can still work - like looking at ingredients in a kitchen before the meal is ready. Not mainstream but not poor composition if thoroughly 'used'. And when you use silence in your symphony, it's not silence but decay - we hear the cymbals diminish in vibration and depending on the listening hall the reverberation continues. Silence is useful to prepare the quality of attention the listener can give you; it's fine to stress them a little! And directions to the performers to remain poised can alleviate false endings in spacious works. (I'm subscribed; great channel; but I had to say...)

[@nonenoneonenonenone]

The silence before the climactic chord created the expectation that the piece would go on.

[@MrVasko06]

Great video as always! It is so interesting how you cover aspects of the music which are often overlooked. Could you do a video on how to achieve a good ending?

[@andrewdufresne1745]

I guess the corollary here is the often repeated phrase about performance: "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play." (Miles Davis) As always, a great video; essential information, explained in a way that even I can understand it!

[@qwaqwa1960]

I recall attending a Weber symphony with a deceptive ending. Half the audience (me included) started to clap before it was over!

[@robertlangslet9108]

This was great Alan, and that coda is beautiful. I'm getting a lot out of these videos. For anyone else wanting to dig into the idea more, I can definitely recommend "Musical Form and Musical Performance" by Edward T. Cone. The subject of silence as frame is explored a great deal.

[@luizfernandohauck4000]

Great Alan, thank you! It was very fruitful.

[@ssmith5048]

Excellent as always!

[@giovannilombardicompositor88]

Very good

[@DerekWilliamsMusic]

Great, thanks, Alan!

[@dibblethwaite]

The next time I hear an audience clap too early, I shall think "Hmm. An inept composer who's unable to write a convincing ending" ;)

[@Karish63]

6:10 You're a sorcerer Harry...

[@conforzo]

"Doesn't create suspense" because of too much of a cadence. Thinks immediately about Tristan opening and the silences succeeding the ambiguous 7th chords.

[@wingflanagan]

Excellent example with your 8th symphony. The final notes are wonderful. In my opinion, another skillful use of silence is Siegfried's death and Funeral march from Wagner's Götterdämmerung.

[@Bushwhacker-so4yk]

One thing you’re wrong about: I have gone to a restaurant just for the music before. To be fair, it was a live performance, not just a set of pieces piped through the radio.

[@alejandrom.4680]

There is your difference lol. Of course, if it's live music of a band/ensamble you like, you will go both for the dinner and the music, I think that isn't worth mentioning at all hahahaha.