Monthly Archives: September 2020

September 9, 2020

For musicians, the concept of harmony is typically defined with reference to musical materials. Roughly speaking, harmony refers to the quality achieved in the sounding of more than one note. Expanding on this, Dictionary.com says the term harmony has four components: a social component, an organizing component, a musical component, and a religious component. I would like to explore a performative component of the concept of harmony, and in doing so, I reflect upon the first of Master Xu’s 24 Virtues, “He,” as interpreted by linguist and musicologist Adrian Tien (2015, pp. 192-5).

“He” – harmonious self-cultivation, seems to me to describe a manner of participating. It seems to be the cultivation of the self and the recognition of others doing the same. There is a recognition that others, by engaging a similarly understood musical practice, are experiencing a self-cultivation brought about through musical skill. It is this self-cultivation that is heard when one listens to music. Harmony then, is not bound to musical materials (intervals, chords), but to a multi-faceted experience of being, shaped by musical practice and shared by others who practice similar things. To sing or play together can be a musical expression of harmony, yes. But playing alone can also be a musical expression of harmony. Harmony is not automatic when two or more people play together; it is an attitude of listening in order to fully engage the musical content, whether playing alone or with other musicians. When we play together harmoniously, we have a deep appreciation of where we have both been, the acts and actions that have led to the moment we now share. According to Tien, this concept/practice has an ancient origin in the communication between humans and the gods (2015, p. 194).

But what is harmony when one plays alone? Is harmony achievable on a melodic instrument such as the flute?

Part of Master Xu’s instruction on harmony, if I understand it correctly, includes how one feels or thinks when hearing someone play, which can include hearing oneself. This seems to be a harmonious attitude more than anything else. What is in my mind upon hearing my music? Many years ago, my yoga teacher told me, “make your own music and listen to it.” This was a transformative moment for me as a classically trained musician. Prior to that my perfectionist approach had been to engage absolute technical control, to demonstrate mastery. My yoga teacher forced me to listen to myself differently – to achieve a state of harmony in my approach to my own skill. I approach sound production differently in a state of harmony than I do in a state of achievement. What I hear in my own sound, I can also hear in the sounds of others. What I can hear of myself, I can hear in the world around me. This musical attitude is non-violent. It allows. It melts. It transforms. It listens. It resonates.

For solitary music, the practice of harmony is an attitude of full participation and a deep appreciation for the aspects of self that are cultivated through music, whatever the music itself may “represent.” For me, adding the performative concept of harmony to my technical practice has proven very satisfying. It adds an audience to my solitary work.

References:

Adrian Tien (2015), “Interpreting Guqin Master Xu’s “24 Virtues” with NSM,” John Benjamins Publishing Company, (pp. 192-5).

Dictionary.com: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/harmony

Dr. Kaastra is the author of: “Grounding the Analysis of Cognitive Processes in Music Performance: Distributed Cognition in Musical Activity” Explorations in Cognitive Psychology Series, Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2021