The color of sound (and other ramblings)...

Synesthesia...
I've always been fascinated by synesthesia, a condition that causes people to experience sensation in one sense when another sense is stimulated (i.e. equating a C major chord with the color yellow). In the late 1800s, spurred by Freud and a fascination with the subconscious, many musicians were obsessed by the concept of synesthesia. It pops up a great deal in my thesis research. In fact, the keyboard at the top of this blog was created by composer/synesthete Alexander Scriabin based on his color/sound perception of each key. Anyway, a cool documentary by Jonathan Fowler on synesthesia was recently posted on boing boing. Check it out:



In other news...
Our president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Synesthesia or no, this is black and white, folks. No gray areas here. I'll admit, when I first heard the news, I was a bit shocked. Too early? Maybe. But as I continued to think about it, I realized Barack Obama was awarded a high honor for pursuing peace around the world. Pursuing. Not achieving. Sure, Gitmo is still open. But the president is working steadily to find a way to close it that is lawful and just. It is appropriate to honor someone who is actively seeking nuclear disarmament, an end to two wars, and peace in the middle east. Other Nobel Peace Prize winners did not end hunger or erase racism. They were rewarded for their work and tireless efforts in pursuit of those goals. I think we have a president right now who is tirelessly working toward peace.

And yes, we still don't have a health care bill and the economy is still struggling. I'm frustrated by these things too. But if I'm not mistaken, nobody suggested giving a Nobel Prize to the U.S. Congress. There are plenty of actual things republicans can be upset by right now (how are we going to handle Afghanistan? budget deficit, etc.). It is absurd to be angered by the fact that our president was honored for pursuing peace. Absurd and small-minded. It's time to stop playing the sore-loser card.

Last thing for the day...
In case you haven't heard, the (classical) music world is abuzz with excitement about the L.A. Phil's new conductor/music director, Gustavo Dudamel. We love him because he is hip and young, absurdly talented, and capable of generating some serious excitement about symphonic music. If there is anything the classical music world can always use, it is a little extra dash of youth and excitement. This weekend Dudamel started the season off with Mahler and a brand new Adams piece called, City Noir. You can listen to the whole thing (courtesy of NPR). Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.