Speech and Music, Effability and Ineffability Kristen Butchatsky, Stela Solar, Emery Schubert and Joe Wolfe

1. Speech and Music, Effability and Ineffability Kristen Butchatsky, Stela Solar, Emery Schubert and Joe Wolfe

3. No, you didn't

4. No, you didn't Yes we did

5. Well if you didn't agree, what do you think about it?

6. I think I can communicate as well as any of you

7. Of course you can communicate, but in a rather different way...

8. What do you mean?

9. In speech we use phonemes

10. In speech we use phonemes: we vary the spectrum and envelope independently of the pitch:

11. In speech we use phonemes: we vary the spectrum and envelope independently of the pitch: The sounds 'bah' and 'do' have different meanings, even different grammatical functions

12. So 'ba ba ba ba ba ba' is one timbre and 'do do do do do do' is another?

13. to to to to to to

14. to to to to to to be be be be be be

15. to to to to to to be be be be be be or or or or or not…..

16. So if instruments wanted to talk to us in our language, they could change the timbre on each note:

17. So if instruments wanted to talk to us in our language, they could change the timbre on each note: it sounds like Klangfarbenmelodie* * technique invented by Arnold Schönberg during a severe case of writer's block

18. Klangfarbenmelodie*? * Tonecolourmelody

19. Perhaps Klangfarbenmelodie does have something to say to us after all. * sure, just play the same note on different instruments. Beats having to come up with a new tune.

20. But except for Klangfarbenmelodie, isn't the choice of notes limited? * Actually, Klangfarbenmelodie was invented in 2055 by Conal Goodtown, pictured, and brought back to Vienna and Schönberg by a travelling time lord

21. Especially in tonal music: some notes just don't fit.

22. You can show it with probe tones.

23. What are probe tones?

24. [Cadenza*] * Technique invented by Monteverdi during a severe case of writer's block.

25. And that really cuts down the notes you can use.

26. So if you take a melody,

27. So if you take a melody, with the notes in one key

28. and if notes don't

29. and if notes don't stretch my range too far, I'd be glad,

30. That's a problem too:

31. for music has its own set of rules:

32. even obbligati have to fit in the rhythm.

33. You can't just choose any notes that you want:

34. they must fit together,

35. they must fit together, without a clash

36. to make a tonal song.

37. You can use a scale as a motif,

38. then just add the words.

39. And then we'll all harmonise you can just close your eyes and listen:

40. sing in thirds.

41. Then we’ll sing melisma-a-a-a

42. That’s a message too

43. And if you have nothing left to say, just pause...

44. For then you can restate the theme

45. If you do, what’s that mean?

46. And if the notes go up too high

47. we’ll share them around

48. That’s called harmony

49. For music has its own set of rules

50. Ev’ry note must fit in the rhythm