History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

A fine Jazz history

Jazz: From its Origins to the Present
Lewis Porter , Michael Ullman , and Edward Hazell
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0135121957

Book Description

This entertaining one-volume comprehensive history of jazz and the artists who made it popular contains musical examples so that students who do not read music will not be inhibited. Combines a rich detail of the origins of jazz with insightful biographies and contributions of jazz legends, including Duke Ellington, Count Bassie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davies, John Coltrane, and the jazz bands of the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. Ideal for for all Introduction to Jazz and Jazz History courses in Music, as well as African-American Studies, and the 20th Century American Studies at the undergraduate level.

Customer Reviews:

A fine Jazz history.......2004-12-11

A very good Jazz history. It's my second pick after James Lincoln Collier's exceptional "The Making of Jazz".

The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body

Average customer rating:

Clever Title, Serious Book
Wishing it doesn't make it so
Yabba-dabba-do! Fred Flintstone would give this book two thumbs up!!
top notch performance of classic guitar literature
Let's make music together

The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body
Steven Mithen
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674021924

Book Description

The propensity to make music is the most mysterious, wonderful, and neglected feature of humankind: this is where Steven Mithen began, drawing together strands from archaeology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience--and, of course, musicology--to explain why we are so compelled to make and hear music. But music could not be explained without addressing language, and could not be accounted for without understanding the evolution of the human body and mind. Thus Mithen arrived at the wildly ambitious project that unfolds in this book: an exploration of music as a fundamental aspect of the human condition, encoded into the human genome during the evolutionary history of our species.

Music is the language of emotion, common wisdom tells us. In The Singing Neanderthals, Mithen introduces us to the science that might support such popular notions. With equal parts scientific rigor and charm, he marshals current evidence about social organization, tool and weapon technologies, hunting and scavenging strategies, habits and brain capacity of all our hominid ancestors, from australopithecines to Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis and Neanderthals to Homo sapiens--and comes up with a scenario for a shared musical and linguistic heritage. Along the way he weaves a tapestry of cognitive and expressive worlds--alive with vocalized sound, communal mimicry, sexual display, and rhythmic movement--of various species.

The result is a fascinating work--and a succinct riposte to those, like Steven Pinker, who have dismissed music as a functionless evolutionary byproduct.

Customer Reviews:

Clever Title, Serious Book.......2007-04-21

Mithen is a well-published serious evolutionary psychologist, and this book is therefore carefully grounded in current understandings of biological evolution and its relevance to the development of human capacities. His argument is that musical and linguistic abilities are separate evolutionary developments and that whereas in Homo sapiens the linguistic has undercut the role of the more primordial musical; Neanderthals exploited the musical but did not develop linguistic capacities. Mithen's argument is admittedly speculative: he often argues from silence, for instance. But these speculations are informed extrapolations, and exploring them with his help is a highly stimulating, mind-expanding experience.

Wishing it doesn't make it so.......2007-04-14

This book so wants to demonstrate that music was a crucial component of human evolution, as if the author, Steven Mithen, wants to explain why he felt the subconscious need to spend so much money on CDs by Queensryche, but he ultimately fails to prove causality. There is nothing inherent in music creation that helped the human species survive the ravages of hunger, disease, pestilence, and war. There was no "battle of the bands" being waged on the prehistoric Serengeti plain to demonstrate defiance of environmental pressures to adapt. Much of this book is pure conjecture, and Mithen again demonstrates that scientists are the worst group of people to explain music to anyone.

Yabba-dabba-do! Fred Flintstone would give this book two thumbs up!! .......2007-03-14

+++++

"The Neanderthals who inhabited Europe and south-west Asia had brains as large as those of modern humans but behaved in a quite different fashion, one that indicates the absence of language...So, what were the Neanderthals doing with such large brains?...Answer: the Neanderthals used their brains for a sophisticated communication system...[that I call] `Hmmmmm'...
'Hmmmmm'...proved remarkably successful: it allowed them to survive for a quarter of a million years through dramatic environmental change in ice-age Europe, and to attain an unprecedented level of cultural achievement. They were 'singing Neanderthals'--although their songs lacked any words."

The above quotation comes near the end of this fascinating book (and explains its title) by Dr. Steven Mithen, Professor of Early Prehistory (at the University of Reading, England), archeologist, and leading figure in the development of `cognitive archeology.'

What is the aim of this book? Mithen explains:

"We can only explain the human propensity to make and listen to music by recognizing that it has been encoded into the human genome during the evolutionary history of our species. How, when, and why are the mysteries that I intend to resolve [in this book]...This book sets out my own ideas about how music and language evolved, and evaluates the proposals of others by exposing them to the archaeological and fossil evidence...The result is a complete account of not only how music and language evolved but how they relate to the evolution of the human mind, body, and society."

As one who thoroughly enjoyed this book, I can validate what Mithen says above. He does examine a large array of data and proposals from many others and critically analyzes this information. Be aware that to understand the book's conclusions (one of which is quoted above), you have to carefully read and comprehend all the material presented beforehand. Mithen proved (at least to me) that he was well-adept at sorting through all the neurological, linguistical, psychological, biological, and archeological information (to name just some disciplines he delves into). (Don't worry! Mithen explains everything quite well so you're not expected to be an academic with a Ph.D.)

The book itself is divided into two parts. The first part (excluding chapter one which is an introduction) is concerned with what we understand about music and language today. Part two uses those features presented in part one to explain the evolutionary history of language and music.

To give the potential reader an idea of the breadth of this book, I will give the sub-title of each chapter:

Part I: The Present

(2) The similarities and differences between music and language
(3) The brain, aphasia (loss of using or understanding words), and musical savants
(4) Acquired and congenital amusia (inability to recognize or reproduce musical sounds)
(5) Music processing within the brain
(6) Brain maturation, language learning, and perfect pitch
(7) Music, emotion, medicine, and intelligence

Part II: The Past

(8) Communication by monkeys and apes
(9) The origin of `Hmmmm' (an acronym) communication
(10) The evolution of bipedalism and dance
(11) Communication about the natural world
(12) Is music a product of sexual selection?
(13) Human life history and emotional development
(14) The significance of cooperation and social bonding
(15) `Hmmmmm' communication by "Homo neanderthalensis" (Compare this acronym to that of (9) above)
(16) The origins of "Homo Sapiens" and the segmentation of `Hmmmmm'
(17) Modern human dispersal, communicating with the gods, and the remnants of 'Hmmmmm'

There are twenty figures peppered throughout this book. These are interesting and aid the discussion.

Finally, did I agree with everything I read in this book? Of course not. What Mithen is attempting to do is extremely difficult. There has to be some speculation and there is much of it in this book. However, it is reasoned speculation and I was impressed with how Mithen put everything together into a coherent whole.

In conclusion, this book attempts to explain the mystery of "the origins of music, language, mind and body." If you like mysteries like I do, then you should thoroughly enjoy this fascinating book!!

(first published 2005; 17 chapters; main narrative 280 pages; notes; bibliography; picture acknowledgements; index)

+++++

top notch performance of classic guitar literature.......2007-03-09

This is a beautiful album, incorporating some of the most famous guitar works, exquisitely performed. The sound quality is excellent, pairing guitar and string orchestra with fine control. The Warlock suite is new to most hearers, and its rhythmic rendition of folk dances is fun to play over and over.

Let's make music together.......2007-01-14

It is a nice model about the origins of music and language, called Hmmmmm. Hominid history is clearly written and very informative relying on a huge range of sources.
It is a great work to write such a book and it is fortunate to read such a book. In my opinion, Hmmmmm model is as convincing as the author's domain-specific model (in his book 'prehistory of mind') in understanding the pre-history mind.

The Cosmic Octave: Origin of Harmony, Planets, Tones, Colors, the Power of Inherent Vibrations

Average customer rating:

INTELLIGENT
Filled with errors, don't waste your money.
Is the Universe in 'tune'?
interesting read
A Book of Both Power and Incredible Import

The Cosmic Octave: Origin of Harmony, Planets, Tones, Colors, the Power of Inherent Vibrations
Cousto
Manufacturer: Liferhythm
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0940795205

Customer Reviews:

INTELLIGENT.......2007-02-24

This guy is really smart. He has alot of equations that are above my head, but they are in the book to qualify what he is saying. I enjoyed alot of the things he said, they helped me clarify some things I've been looking into. I did not get this book for his theory of theology or spiritual guidance. I got it for the science and knowledge of music and how it is in all creation. As far as I'm concerned he could have left some of his opinions out. But I'm glad I bought the book.

Filled with errors, don't waste your money........2006-08-28

This book is filled with mathematical errors and typos. Makes a book on harmonics rather useless. Don't buy it.

Is the Universe in 'tune'?.......2006-07-08

People have been trying for years to prove that the founding cause of the Universe is natural occuring harmonies. These theories are usually the occult disguising itself as science. If these theories are correct there needs to be a 'fundamental' frequency (a demiurge style 'god of harmony') to begin the resonance. No such thing exists - see Scientific American, August 2005 'Is the Universe Out of a Tune?'

interesting read.......2005-08-12

helpful to me in my work and fits in with other information I have sought.

A Book of Both Power and Incredible Import.......2003-09-09

Mr. Eric Hirschorn's review does a great disservice to this scholarly work. I see that 22 out of 24 readers of his review said it helped them. I would hate to think that so many were missing out on a worthy treatise on how the Universe is mathematically put together. I hope to undo some of his damage with my review.
I have Masters degrees, including Math, Physics and Chemistry. I understand the details of what this book puts forth. I can say with resounding thanks, that all is well, read in harmony, in the Universe and this book goes a long way past other proofs.
What Mr. Hirschorn objects to, a factor that successfully reduces the periodic orbits and frequencies of each body in our solar system, defies many mathematical traditions. The author may not understand the significance of this factor, as we did not understand the significance of Pi for so many centuries.
The fact that the sun, planets and moon stand in the same frequency ratio as the notes on our most harmonic scale is the point, a brilliant one at that. In number theory, a science worthy of the best minds, we seek to understand these relationships between quantities. What Mathematician can explain the Law of Nines in our own number system? Mr. Hirschorn may reduce the studied body of work on that subject alone to mere "ramblings of numerology," our best minds have thought otherwise.
How can one be a mathematician and not a musician? The significance of what we see to what we hear, the frequencies we respond to and how they repeat themselves from DNA outward, are the stuff we were made to understand.
This book takes us further than we have traveled before. Have a great voyage! Once you leave the portal of what we don't want to be true, and travel into the awesome resonance of the Universe and what we see before us, your eyes, heart and mind will be in for so many surprises. Don't miss this one...

Average customer rating:

More on the origin of music
Some good info, but hard to find it
Fascinating and Challenging Approaches to a Difficult Topic
Hodgepodge
Landmark

The Origins of Music

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0262731436

Book Description

What biological and cognitive forces have shaped humankind's musical behavior and the rich global repertoire of musical structures? What is music for, and why does every human culture have it? What are the universal features of music and musical behavior across cultures? In this groundbreaking book, musicologists, biologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, ethologists, and linguists come together for the first time to examine these and related issues. The book can be viewed as representing the birth of evolutionary biomusicology--the study of which will contribute greatly to our understanding of the evolutionary precursors of human music, the evolution of the hominid vocal tract, localization of brain function, the structure of acoustic-communication signals, symbolic gesture, emotional manipulation through sound, self-expression, creativity, the human affinity for the spiritual, and the human attachment to music itself.

Contributors: Simha Arom, Derek Bickerton, Steven Brown, Ellen Dissanayake, Dean Falk, David W. Frayer, Walter Freeman, Thomas Geissmann, Marc D. Hauser, Michel Imberty, Harry Jerison, Drago Kunej, François-Bernard Mâche, Peter Marler, Björn Merker, Geoffrey Miller, Jean Molino, Bruno Nettl, Chris Nicolay, Katharine Payne, Bruce Richman, Peter J. B. Slater, Peter Todd, Sandra Trehub, Ivan Turk, Maria Ujhelyi, Nils L. Wallin, Carol Whaling.

Customer Reviews:

More on the origin of music.......2006-03-25

One of the authors cited several times in the Origins book (regarding the Neanderthal flute and ancient music) is Bob Fink, who has recently published several books, including a new one (2005): On the Origin of Music, published by Greenwich press, 516 Ave K South, Saskatoon, Canada S7M 2E2. See www.greenwych.ca for the full list of books that go into hard and convincing detail (archaeology finds, scales & acoustic parallels) that tend to create an outline of the actual origins of music -- no longer all speculation). -- Terry Geebe

Some good info, but hard to find it.......2004-07-24

After an 18 page introduction to biomusicology the reader is left to sift through the papers of around 25 experts in this field. Quality ranges widely as do the topics. There is some worthwhile information in this book but finding it may not be worth your time. Nonetheless, it is a positive step forward.

Fascinating and Challenging Approaches to a Difficult Topic.......2001-08-31

"The Origins of Music" derives from a 1997 international workshop of the Swedish Institute for Biomusicology. The result is a fascinating journey into a vast world of ideas, with interplay, disagreement and contradiction abounding. Few readers will have the background to move easily through all these articles. However, wading through the quagmire of scientific writing rewards the reader with some remarkable insights. Little is actually proven, and the editors could have done more to reconcile or enumerate the contradictions between some of the approaches. But for the most part, the writers are sufficiently aware of the difficulties involved in applying their specific research results to general theories about the origins of music.

An introductory chapter discusses the comparatively new field of biomusicology, with its tripartite subdivision into evolutionary musicology, neuromusicology, and comparative musicology. The issue, which will command much of the book, of whether certain features of music are biological or cultural is raised. Unfortunately, all too often the weight is given to the biological answer without overwhelming evidence.

Another significant question is the relevance of animal "song". Only those working directly in the field of animal song approach this with caution--none argue anything stronger than a "convergent evolution" between animal and human music. To apply the terms "song" and "music" to aural animal communications is to raise a whole host of related but probably irrelevant associations--those of art, aesthetics, etc. Where music is so broadly defined as to include animal sounds (which can indeed be "musical" and quite lovely for us to listen to without being classified as "music") these associations muddy the water, and all too often the contributors simply accept these problematic issues. One writer even wallows in them--in the book's final article, composer Mache absurdly claims that birdsong can ONLY be explained as an aesthetic act. We unquestionably have very limited understanding of how even the human brain processes our own music; that we have even less understanding of how animals perceive their own sounds and how their brains process them makes any statement about any complicated animal response speculative at best. Slater's chapter is noteworthy as he addresses this very issue of relevance with commendable caution: "Considering only songbirds...there are close to 4,000 species....It would thus not be surprising if almost any characteristic found in human music were discovered in one or a few of them. But such similarities are likely to be coincidental..."

Articles on human evolution of musical potential are fascinating explorations of real evidence. Although of course music does not fossilize, these scientists have taken various ingenious approaches from the thorough examination of a Paleolithic bone flute to the casting of brains inside fossil skulls to examine their gross anatomy, and the results are couched in appropriate language. Richman, in his wildly speculative theory of music origins, resorts to quite poor reasoning ("...complexity always comes from previous, but different complexity." and "...language always comes from previous language."). Similar points are articulated more thoughtfully in the subsequent chapter by Merker. Equally intriguing is Miller's, in which he argues convincingly that a Darwinian approach to the issue of musical evolution allows only the single explanation of sexual selection. His colleague Todd supports this hypothesis in his article on computer modeling of musical behavior. In perhaps the most interesting contradiction in the book, Dissanayake takes a totally different approach, arguing equally convincingly (although smothered in jargon) that musical evolution most likely occurred as an outgrowth of mother-infant interaction. Finally, Freeman suggests that music evolved to fulfil a sociological role of group bonding. These four articles, by Freeman, Dissanayake, Todd, and Merker are superbly argued and maintain the highest standards of intellectual rigor; curiously they come to wildly different but equally reasonable conclusions on the origins of music, thereby highlighting the difficulties of the issues.

In the final section, the musicians get their turn, and as a composer myself I'm sorry to say that my colleagues' results are relatively disappointing. Trehub attempts to find musical universals by studying the behavior of infants. This leads her to the conclusion that "small-integer frequency ratios" are "preferable" (such as 2:1 and 3:2--the perfect octave and fifth) to large-integer ratios (the ONLY example she gives is 45:32--the tritone). She concludes that "dissonances" are not naturally a part of an inherent universal musicality, but her argument shows no apparent understanding of the issues. Imberty's contribution is largely a defense of Lerdahl and Jackendoff's Generative Theory of Tonal Music, and although he makes some excellent points, especially about atonal music, the reader unfamiliar with Lerdahl and Jackendoff's work will find little of value here. The eminent ethnomusicologist Nettl suggests a number of likely musical universals, some of which I must contend against: among them are the presence of an undefined cadential element (as music exists in time and must end, this seems to me inevitable and inconsequential unless further defined), and, that music exists only as particular songs, compositions, etc--that "one does not ever just sing or play, as for example, one may simply dance, without performing a particular dance composition." (wildly incorrect, as any jazzer, mother or Deadhead will attest!) However, Nettl raises valid concerns about the concept of musical universals--I regretted that his contribution wasn't much earlier in the book as it seemed so appropriate to so many of the claims made within. Finally, composer Mache provides what is surely the least intellectually rigorous, most romantically speculative chapter. Mache based much of his workshop contribution on recorded comparisons between various human and animal musics to which the reader has no exposure. It is a real pity that for this article and several others no CD was included. Regardless, Mache's concept of a truly universal biological music including an aesthetic sense ignores historical fact and convergent evolution in favor of an interspecies brotherhood of musicians. However attractive the idea, the International Federation of Musicians is unlikely to start issuing cards to avian and simian members any time soon

Hodgepodge.......2000-11-21

It is a measure of the pioneering nature of this book that its contributions lack any synergy. What we have here are specialists from a wide variety of fields attempting to apply their expertise to a new and undeveloped field. The results are all over the map. Some of the papers strain to be relevant; a few are major steps forward. Some of the papers are badly written; I had to re-read every sentence in one of them. I do not recommend this book to any reader seeking cogent answers to the problem of the origin of music; the truth is, we don't have those answers yet. This is a book for readers willing to accept the uncertainties at the edge of our knowledge, willing to plow through indirect approaches and early clumsy efforts. It is a purely academic book, with all the strengths and weaknesses implicit to that style of writing. In any case, it remains the best effort we have in this direction, by virtue of being the only effort we have in this direction.

Landmark.......2000-04-04

The number of books devoted to language evolution could now fill many bookshelves. So it is very exciting to see the first book ever devoted to the question of music evolution. This book is unquestionably a landmark and will be discussed for many years to come. Evolutionary musicologists will certainly have a lot to learn from their cousins in the language field but they will also get the chance to explore important new ground not covered by them. The book deals with animal song, general issues in human evolution, different proposals for the evolution of music and a final section about universals in music. I was pleased to see renowned thinkers like Derek Bickerton, Peter Marler and Dean Falk writing about music for the first time, and doing it so cogently. That, in itself, is worth the cover price. The book fulfills its promise of opening up an interdisciplinary dialog on the subject of music origins. The editors can be congratulated for bringing together an international group of contributors; no fewer than 8 countries are represented in the contributors list-a rare occurrence in such edited volumes. Despite this, the writing style is consistently high and with the exception of a few typos, the book was quite easy to navigate. Some of the chapters, like Miller's chapter on sexual selection reflect current "hot" topic in evolutionary psychology, and will no doubt lead to lots of discussions. Other chapters, such as those on universals, touch on topics that have been dormant or forgotten in musicology. It is exciting for me to see musical universals being discussed again after so many years of silence. The section called Theories of Music Origins will, no doubt, spur future thinking on the topic. This book is a strong beginning and I highly recommend this book to people who really want to delve into something completely fresh and new. They will not be disappointed.

Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression

Average customer rating:

Life Changing Perspective on Music
What a fantastic experiential approach to learning harmony!
Harmonic Experience changed my life!
a text book must-have
ear and mind opener

Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression
W. A. Mathieu
Manufacturer: Inner Traditions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0892815604
Release Date: 1997-08-01

Book Description

An exploration of musical harmony from its ancient fundamentals to its most complex modern progressions, addressing how and why it resonates emotionally and spiritually in the individual.

W. A. Mathieu, an accomplished author and recording artist, presents a way of learning music that reconnects modern-day musicians with the source from which music was originally generated. As the author states, "The rules of music--including counterpoint and harmony--were not formed in our brains but in the resonance chambers of our bodies." His theory of music reconciles the ancient harmonic system of just intonation with the modern system of twelve-tone temperament. Saying that the way we think music is far from the way we do music, Mathieu explains why certain combinations of sounds are experienced by the listener as harmonious. His prose often resembles the rhythms and cadences of music itself, and his many musical examples allow readers to discover their own musical responses.

Customer Reviews:

Life Changing Perspective on Music.......2007-08-12

Mathieu generously, and eloquently, teaches and inspires the reader to explore the harmonic Deep Structure of the mystery we call Music. Using music theory, philosophy, mathematics, poetry, botany, and his own rich world view, he unearths the underlying relationship between harmony, scale, and rhythm. Starting with the acoustical given of the overtone series, Mathieu builds a coherent system with which the Music student can frame and further delve into the patterned world of Musical phenomena.

What a fantastic experiential approach to learning harmony!.......2007-05-05

I am a musician and have played professionally. Now, I work in the psychology field, but I have a good education in science including physics. I think this qualifies me to speak about the merits of this very fine book.

This book differs from most other musical theory books in that it encourages you to experience how music evolved and harmony grew out of the natural harmonics that occur in strings and other instruments. It gives you the theory and some of the physcis, but must importantly it provides exercises to give you the FELT SENSE of what each concept corresponds to. This is both at the emotional and somatic levels.

This is a very natural way to learn and embody harmony. It makes use of chanting intervals with a string drone or note from an instrument or tuning fork. It teaches you how to listen for harmonics and explains how these harmonics naturally lead to the contruction of certain chords and scales. It is really a "ground up" approach as one reviewer said and an eye opener even for most musicians.

The book encouraged the use of Indian syllables for the musical exercises, which was a bit difficult for me. However, the ideas behind the exercises were great and could be converted to do, re, mi, fa, so, la, di, do. I must confess, however, that at times this was a bit of an annoyance, but totally forgivable given what I took away from this book!

Harmonic Experience changed my life! .......2007-02-16

Harmonic Experience has proven to be as valuable of an education as my four years at a music conservatory. But this is also easily accessible to all musicians, not just professionals! The book is written in clear English and it feels like Mathieu is in the room with you.

I'm delighted to find some insight into some musical contradictions that I frequently think about, but have never reconciled. Harmonic series vs. major and minor tonality? just intonation vs. equal temperament? western harmony vs. eastern music? It's beautiful to see a unified perspective that embraces acoustics, emotion, intuition, knowledge and many musical traditions. My approach to intonation has also changed for the better!

Here is my favorite testimonial:

"Harmonic Experience is the Rosetta stone of music. It turns harmonic theory into a web of "ah hah's"! What has been a tangle of inexplicable concepts is transformed into a repertory of generative experiences. Mathieu puts together what no one has put together before"

-Will Johnson, professor of music, Sonoma State University

a text book must-have.......2000-11-17

This is hands down one of the best books about music I've ever read. This should be circulated in ever high school and college throughout the U.S. and beyond!

ear and mind opener.......1999-08-25

I am so glad to see jzmckay's excellent review of this book, posted here. He said many of the things that I feel about this book.

I have studied music, including theory, for thirty years, and nothing has expanded my understanding (and perception!) of music as much as the information in this book.

I have studied music with the author of this book -- he's a great writer about music and an even better teacher! I know that this work is the result of a lifetime of profound consideration of what is at the very heart of the musical experience, and of why music affects us as it does. W. A. Mathieu's highly intelligent exposition is a great gift to all who wish to deepen their understanding of music.

From the publisher

A true "insider" of the beat scene and author of the book that spawned the major motion picture Backbeat, Alan Clayson has created a comprehensive account of the origins, history, impact, and legacy of the 1960s British pop groups. Digging deep into this fascinating period, Clayson examines the sudden emergence of beat bands, their effects on music over the last three decades, and the reasons behind their widespread resonance both within and outside of the music scene. Informative as this book is, Clayson has also succeeded in showing us a "backstage" view inaccessible to most, and presents it in a way that will hold your attention page after page.

Customer Reviews:

AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR TRUE R&R FANS.......1998-11-29

This is one of the best books ever written about the British Invasion bands of the 1960's. Alan Clayson not only did his homework in researching the book, he was actually THERE-as a musician and contributing writer to several British music newspapers and magazines. He writes of bands forming in the late 50's and how many(but not all)of them made it big after following The Beatles & Rolling Stones to the good ol' USA. This story is an integral part of 60's rock and roll, never boring and will leave you wishing for an eventual followup. Just looking at the pictures will have you wondering "whatever happened to?"....A MUST READ!!!

Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm

Average customer rating:

Made me want to become a drummer
The Primal Sound....
Pretty Good, Has Some Flaws
Planet Drum - the heartbeat of our world
As a poet, I used this book for research-useful & inspiring

Planet Drum: A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm
Mickey Hart , Fredric Lieberman , and D. A. Sonneborn
Manufacturer: Acid Test Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1888358203

Customer Reviews:

Made me want to become a drummer.......2006-06-30

I have read this before, and enjoyed it so much that I purchased it for two wonderful drummers that I know, one a young man who is in my congregation who has a real gift as a drummer, and who I wanted to affirm and encourage, and one a friend of mine who is as enthusiastic as Mickey Hart is. This is a fabulous and magical book that will turn even those who are lukewarm about drumming into people who "get it."

The Primal Sound...........2003-06-16

Mickey Hart goes into a global exploration of percusion instruments in this particular book. The interplay between sound and mysticism is explored, with lavish photographs and numerous quotations to boot. Although this book isn't much on words, theres a lot of good stuff in here. Breaking it down into various regions, Hart shows some wonderful examples of musical instruments used in Africa, Oceania, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Aside from more familar instruments (bullroarers, clap sticks and various drums), he also gives examples of exotic instruments like the shekere, mbira, shawm, skull drums and gamelan orchestras. In addition, he explores numerous non-western cultures, such as the Rashaida, Ethiopians, Tutsis, Nepalis and Ojibwa. Aside from this are little side-bars on various related subjects such as Shamanism, Capoeira, Carnival, drums and warfare and the "dance of the dead". Theres even a whole list of names various cultures around the world have for the bullroarer, which is considered sacred in cultures as far away as the Australian aborigines and the Apache of North America. And, of course, it explores the process of sound, from the big bang to the end of time itself, complete with a lot of cultural notes and tidbits that are great to know. For instance, did you know tht Ethiopian soldiers used to be accompanied by trumpters and drummers who symbolized the drummers who will herald the Apocalypse? Or that in some parts of the world drums really were used to communicate? Or that early Christians were summoned to church with a "sound board" instead of a bell? All of these small little notes, and many other historical facts and curiousities are contained within this book. And, finally, there are also a handful of illustrated myths and legends retold in the book. These include a Sioux legend of the origin of the powow drum and a Koori story about how the bull-roarer came to earth, as well as a grisly tale of what the Inca did to captured foes (made them into drums) and a Siberian tale of creation.
This is really an amazing book. Those with an interest in anthropology, music or shamanism should take a brief look at this book. Heck, everyone should. It may not be a lot of reading, but it is wonderful to flip through and learn about the history of sound, mysticism and the pulse of the world itself. Just buy it and you'll see what I mean.

Pretty Good, Has Some Flaws.......2000-07-12

This book is great for an overview of percussion instruments around the world. The history of these percussion instruments is show through facts and folklore. The massive amounts of photographs in this book help with the indentification of the many, many instruments. This book is great if you want a brief overview of the history of percussion, but if you want something that is a little deeper than that I would find another book. This book is rather simple and relies on the pictures to do most of the work. Still, this is a cool book.

Planet Drum - the heartbeat of our world.......2000-05-19

A celebration of Percussion & Rhythm. Origin Stories & original paintings of drummers, singers, dancers, clappers & all manner of rhythmic instruments from the four corners of the world & distant times, illuminate this passionate, enchanting tour. There is a tape that accompanies the reading of this lovely book.

As a poet, I used this book for research-useful & inspiring.......1999-05-11

I wanted to write about Drums, not in the fashion as other poets do, but from a more culturally diverse angle and this book gave me the variations needed to succeed with my attempt. The poem that I wrote (for performance) is entitled "God is a Drummer". As a performance poet and author, I wanted to move from my comfort zone of writing, challenging myself on a new level to combine culture and spirituality to educate and inspire others with this subject matter. "PLANET DRUM" really helped a great deal. Thanks for a well written and easy to digest work.

Book Description

Burkert, Girard, and Smith hold important and contradictory theories about the nature and origin of ritual sacrifice, and the role violence plays in religion and culture. These papers and conversations derive from a conference that pursued the possibility and utility of a general theory of religion and culture, especially one based on violence. The special value of this volume is the conversations as such -- the real record of working scholars engaged with one another's theories, as they make and meet challenges, and move and maneuver.

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