Re: GG:late nighters, humming, and polyphonic listening

["Roderick A. Carder-Russell" <rodc@shore.net>]

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, Mike Flemmer wrote:

> As for polyphonic listening- I have often watched TV
> and listened to talk radio at the same time,
> But, I find that I'm actually shifting focus between the two sources.
> And that really, I can't focus on both with eqaul attention.
> Can anyone here do that?    I think you either have to
> focus on one voice, and 'listen' to the other in the background.

Mike,

Regarding polyphonic listening...  When I was a child, a young teenager, I
would experiment with what I guess we would have to call polyphonic
thinking.  I would attempt to think several independent lines of thought
simultaneously, while being consciously aware of each one, with equal
emphasis.  At first I would pursue two thoughts, but as you experienced
in your tv and radio experiment, you find yourself quickly switching back
and forth between the two.  I quickly found that what I was doing was
directing my attention so as to observe each line of thought, and I wasn't
letting them occur while "I" observed.  After recognizing this, and with
some practice, I was able to maintain three thoughts independently with
some ease, though the concentration involved in maintain four (or any
attempt at more) quickly led to my attention focusing in on one, and a
return to the "switching" method.
	When I began taking a more serious interest in music some years
later, I naturally became excited upon discovering fugues.  I had not
practiced the "polyphonic thought" technique for some time, but I knew
that the proper way to listen to a fugue must be in that manner.  At first
I would follow the voices independently, just as I did the thoughts, and I
would hear them fall into the counterpoint of other voices, and resurface
later, as different voices became alternately emphasized.  I could listen
in this manner, or I could hear the overall piece with the theme playing
over and over again, but it took a bit of effort to rediscover in music
this technique that I had practiced as a child.
	The key to hearing a fugue in such a manner is the elimination of
the intentionality of consciousness.  The moment that you try to control
the direction of concentration, the entire system breaks down and you
return to switching between one voice and the next.  But if you can relax,
just let go and only be that observer, things fall in place nicely.  The
rewards are enormous.  Never had a fugue held some rich treasures for my
mind, until I heard it as it should be heard.  The experience of depth in
hearing a fugue in its totality, all voices simultaneously and equally, is
almost overwhelming.  I frequently listen to Bach during my long
commute to work.  One moment I will be driving, and the next I will be in
an entirely different world, floating in a sea of sound.  I arrive at work
feeling as if I had just had an intense workout, yet I'm very refreshed
and alive.  The experience of a fugue in this manner is both invigorating
and pacifying, and nobody does it better than Glenn.  I have found that
the distinct staccato that he employs brings out the voices tremendously
well, and because of the clarity the state of "polyphonic listening" is
easily reached, and yes, Glenn's humming brings the artist to life, and
while listening to his recordings, you are suddenly no longer alone in
your car, but sharing an intimate experience with an extraordinary artist.
Your thoughts, his voice, the music and the rumble of the car all become
one in a communal experience of living music.
	I must admit, however, that because listening to fugues is such a
remarkable experience for me now, I cannot engage in any other "mental"
activity while listening because, even though I can maintain them in
parallel, I am selfish and wish to give all of my resources to the music.

					-Roderick

I'm glad to see such wonderful activity on the list lately, I hope that I
have contributed. :-)

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Roderick A. Carder-Russell
rodc@shore.net
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