GuMM'D:David Byrne on Musical Evolution

 

 

      David Byrne has an interesting theory on the evolution of certain aspects of music, one that defies the contemporary view. The contemporary view holds that music is a creation of the mind and emotions, and develops progressively as an attempt by it's composers to share that emotion and express themselves to the masses. The development of music, in the contemporary view, is an emotional thing that naturally develops.

      Byrne's theory is much more simplistic and easy to attain an understanding of. Byrne states that music is nothing more than a product of the venue in which it is played. Musical creation and creative development happens to reflect the acoustics of the area in which it is played, as well as a societal and audience views on the music.

 

      One of the many examples he provides is the comparison of Tribal African music, to that of medieval European music. African Tribal music is heavy on percussion insruments, filled with loud and fast rythms. These rythms and tones travel great distances recognizably, perhaps a product of the open areas in which they are played.

 

      In contrast, many medieval instruments were much quieter string and wind instruments. These had much higher pitches, and more intricate tunes. Where the African Tribal music was excellent outdoors, the medieval music would die out quickly and drowned out by native sounds. In contrast, the African music would be unbearable to listen to when played in the indoor spaces that the medieval instruments were much better suited to.

      Byrne also describes the differences between early and modern classical music and opera. Today, an audience member in either an opera or classical music composition is expected to stay perfectly silent. Any noise or distracting action is strictly prohibited. In this way, the many intricacies and fine, almost faint melodies and quiet undertones can best be heard. These undertones and fineries didn't exist at all in the early era. An audience then was social, rowdy, and enjoying company. Modern opera or classical music would become lost, it's fine detail and intricate structures being drowned out by a crowd. Part of this may be the growth of the venues in which they are played; many places seem to be attempting to seat for maximum occupancy, as opposed to a small social venue.

      The same factor may have influenced Jazz: the audience. Jazz is dance music, and as jazz became more and more popular, the musicians were having trouble keeping the music heard above the bar sounds and dancing. So, they started playing on louder instruments that could be heard better through a crowd. This leaned into developing new Jazz styles, now incorporating the newer instruments.

      Recording had a large effect on the development in music, and Byrne attests to this as well. Recorded music allows for music to be played in many different venues, at the will of the listener. Any genre can be played anywhere. And with the use of headphones in particular, music is more portable than ever. Without the dependence on a live audience, recording takes place in a soundproofed studio to guarantee the quality of the work. Because of this, and the ease of amplification, singers and musicians are much less dependant on the volume of the audience to create the music that they do. With headphones on, you can hear and appreciate extreme detail and subtlety, and the lack of uncontrollable reverb inherent in hearing music in a live room means that rhythmic material survives beautifully and completely intact; it doesn’t get blurred or turned into sonic mush as it often does in a convert hall. An example would be technical death metal. This genre focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures.