Musical Forces : Motion, Metaphor, and Meaning in Music

Steve Larson

ISBN 10: 0253356822 / ISBN 13: 9780253356826

Published by Indiana University Press Jan 2012, 2012

About this Item

Neuware - Steve Larson drew on his 20 years of research in music theory, cognitive linguistics, experimental psychology, and artificial intelligence-as well as his skill as a jazz pianist-to show how the experience of physical motion can shape one's musical experience. Clarifying the roles of analogy, metaphor, grouping, pattern, hierarchy, and emergence in the explanation of musical meaning, Larson explained how listeners hear tonal music through the analogues of physical gravity, magnetism, and inertia. His theory of melodic expectation goes beyond prior theories in predicting complete melodic patterns. Larson elegantly demonstrated how rhythm and meter arise from, and are given meaning by, these same musical forces.

Seller Inventory # 9780253356826

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Musical Forces : Motion, Metaphor, and Meaning in Music
• Publisher: Indiana University Press Jan 2012
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0253356822
• ISBN 13: 9780253356826
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 233W x 159H x 38D millimeters 233 millimeters width by 159 millimeters height by 38 millimeters depth
• Weight: 762 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Steve Larson drew on his 20 years of research in music theory, cognitive linguistics, experimental psychology, and artificial intelligence―as well as his skill as a jazz pianist―to show how the experience of physical motion can shape one's musical experience. Clarifying the roles of analogy, metaphor, grouping, pattern, hierarchy, and emergence in the explanation of musical meaning, Larson explained how listeners hear tonal music through the analogues of physical gravity, magnetism, and inertia. His theory of melodic expectation goes beyond prior theories in predicting complete melodic patterns. Larson elegantly demonstrated how rhythm and meter arise from, and are given meaning by, these same musical forces.

About the Author

Steve Larson (1955-2011) was the Robert M. Trotter Professor of Music at the University of Oregon and a member of its Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences. He was author of Analyzing Jazz: A Schenkerian Approach.