If you know me well, you probably know that one of my longest-standing dreams has been to hang a photograph of Brian Eno above the crib(s) of my children, hoping that somehow his ephemeral genius would eke out of the image and embed itself in their brains. I can’t understand why, but my wife isn’t into this idea.
She can only hold out so long though…and we are young. In this lecture, Eno brings up a variety of interesting ideas related to recorded vs. live music.
A couple of my favorites:
1. Recorded music as plastic.
Recorded music is something that can be formed and molded. It isn’t limited by time, and the process isn’t linear. Whereas live music is performance and inherently structured as beginning to end, recorded music isn’t limited by time and space. It’s essentially a sculpture. He actually points out that recording is actually closer to painting than music.
2. Recorded music as Cinema
When theater was recorded, it became cinema. However, we refer to both recorded and live music as “music.” His idea that recorded music is a separate discipline that probably warrants a different name altogether is one that I hadn’t considered before. I’m especially intrigued by this idea.
So, if you have an hour or so to watch or listen, this is definitely worth it. Luckily the most interesting bits are at the beginning though if you’re short on time.
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