Studies And Investigations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Studies And Investigations - Essay Example At the same time, the Industrial Revolution and the consolidation of people into cities over history replaced the pastoral, wild silence with rural bustle with industrial cacophony. The reaction to both of these tendencies in the twentieth century was electronic music. Though electronic music eventually combined with disco to form modern dance techno, as well as with rock-like tendencies for industrial music, electronic music began with a focus on minimalism and silence, an attempt to leverage machines for something besides noise, an attempt to find an impossible mote of quiet. Emmerson operationally defines electronic music as â€Å"music heard through loudspeakers or sound made with the help of electronic means† (2007). John Cage's music philosophy was integral to the formation and development of electronic music, presaging it. â€Å"The theories of avant-garde American composer John Cage (1912-1992) on music, sound, and silence are of more interest than his musical composi tions. To Cage, there is no such thing as silence. Music is a succession of sounds and the composer the "organizer of sounds." Historically, music has been a communication of feelings, but Cage argues that all sounds have this potential for conveying feeling in the mechanical and electronic sense... 'Any sounds in any combination and in any succession are henceforth free to be used in a musical continuity'... Silence was perhaps the pivotal aspect of Cage's theories. If silence could be shown not to exist, then feelings, too, could be pushed into the category of nonexistence† (Hermitary, 2010). Cage tried to experiment with new sounds that could emulate silence or escape the traditional confines of music and sound, letting the ear get a respite from noise. His work in randomness, while perhaps difficult to listen to, presaged performance art and electronic music (Hermitary, 2010). Cage understood sound the same way electronic musicians do: Universal to nature and man. It is no t just the plucking of a violin that is music, but a catchy phrase that can be sampled and mixed, the whirring of an engine or the brushing of an industrial lave. To Cage, disharmony is a â€Å"harmony that is not understood† (Hermitary, 2010). Cage's work was inspired by the I Ching, by Taoism. â€Å"In the 1950's, Cage hit upon a method of composition that would be the counterpart of the frequency, amplitude, timbre, duration, etc. that constitute the mechanisms of tradition composition. The avant-garde method was randomness. Cage discovered the I Ching. By tossing the coins he came to hexagrams that offered ideas, and from the ideas he developed parameters for "chance-controlled music† (Hermitary, 2010). Ultimately, the biggest contribution of Cage was the understanding of silence not as a mere pause, a break from sound, but a musical creation itself. The nature of silence is a key concept of both Eastern and Western thought. Cage understood from his popular reading s that they could converge. He applied the concept of silence to music and tried to liberate silence from feelings or context, from an social and historical context. But Cage's compositions, while making statements opposed to historical aesthetics, did not discover therein a psychology or philosophy of silence, less an aesthetics. Silence became a utilitarian tool for compositional use, not unlike those historical composers he criticized. Though he argued for the equal status of all sounds, sounds, music, had no meaning, though they did not need

Movie analyzing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie analyzing - Essay Example As such, the business grows quite fast gaining popularity and customer loyalty from the major suppliers in the region. The movie allows viewers to have a comprehension of the setting and everyday encounters of leading a gangster life that generally revolves around criminal activities. Additionally, the movie gives a reflection of the relationship between the police and criminals. It is evident from the story that a successful gangster life is heavily dependent on minimal interactions with law enforcers. As such, Lucas leads a seemingly quiet and private life ensuring minimal interactions with the police despite his successes in both the drug business and purchase of nightclubs. For example, Lucas makes sure to dress in a moderate way that portrays his strength while simultaneously reducing attention levels from law enforcers. This is a typical gangster life scenario where the leaders are seen few times leaving much of the work to their appointed representatives to avoid detection. However, the story does not only concentrate on criminal activities but also touches on the Lucas’s other life such as family. This makes the story more realistic and associable with real life while simultaneously making it interesting. Conversely, the movie also gives a reflection of the police life in a creative yet realistic way thereby striking a balance. The lead detective, Roberts, is given the task of apprehending the major drug traffickers in the city after the death of his partner. Although at first Lucas is unknown to the detective, he attracts attention during a fighting event due to his conspicuous dressing and sitting position prompting Roberts to embark on a mission to investigate him. Within the same period Lucas’ business encounters some challenges from Dominic, a mafia boss, and some corrupt detectives who demand to be given a cut from