Translator: Denise RQ Reviewer: Peter van de Ven
Music: the universal language to some,
but if it's a language, what does it express?
After all, the most influential composer of the 20th century asserted
that it was powerless to express anything at all.
Well, this will be the shortest TED Talk ever.
(Laughter)
But really, what can it express?
If we're willing to look beneath the surface, the answers may surprise us.
Colorado Symphony Board member, Rich Kylberg from Arrow Electronics,
posed the question,
"If we created a sound logo for Arrow, what would that sound like?"
Their motto, "Arrow, Five Years out."
Can you express that in music? Yes, we can. And here is how.
The normal musical alphabet gives us A, B, C, D, E, F, and G,
but it doesn't give us R, O, or W.
Unless,
we use the musical alphabet used by so many composers throughout history
where instead of simply repeating A through G,
you keep continuing H, I, J, K, L, M, N, etc., etc.,
all way up to Z, up here.
So if we use that musical alphabet, we could spell "Arrow":
A, R, R, O, W.
(Piano playing)
That's a little scattered. Good luck trying to sing that.
So if we put it all into one register it becomes--
(Piano playing)
Hey, spelling "Arrow" melodically doesn't sound so bad.
So let's continue with this idea;
what if we spelled "Arrow" rhythmically
in Morse code?
(Laughter)
If you think this is kooky, wait to see what's coming.
Let's start with A: short, long.
(Piano playing)
Great, we repeat that.
(Piano playing)
Good. What about R? Near the bottom here.
(Piano playing)
I like that, it kind of develops the rhythm of A.
What about O?
(Piano playing)
OK, that one's going to be a challenge.
What about W up there?
(Piano playing)
I like the syncopation of that.
So, already we've got "Arrow" spelled melodically and rhythmically.
Now let's go to that idea of "five years out",
there is a lot of potential here.
Start with "five", OK?
We have already got "five" expressed in "Arrow", A, R, R, O, W,
because there are five notes in that, so we're already on our way,
but we could also express "five" by using the pentatonic scale,
so named because there are five notes in it
(Piano playing)
before it repeats: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1.
And look here, our Arrow idea fits the pentatonic scale.
(Piano playing)
When you're a composer like me and you see a coincidence like that,
"Yes!"
(Laughter)
We've also got the fifth scale degree: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Composers have used this fifth scale degree
to represent something very triumphant, many times throughout history.
For example, Mahler:
(Piano playing)
(singing) 1-- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.
Let's use that fifth scale degree
to set our phrase "five years out".
Start on five and end on five: 5-1-5.
Five years out.
(Piano playing)
Sounds like winning to me.
Let's just take stock of our ingredients this far:
we've got "Arrow" spelled melodically,
we've got "Arrow" spelled rhythmically.
We've also got "five" expressed in the five letters of "Arrow",
and our five-note idea.
(Piano playing)
We've also got "five" expressed in the pentatonic scale,
and we've also got "five" expressed in the fifth scale degree
set to the phrase "five years out".
How are we going to use these ingredients?
Let's start with the first idea, the "Arrow" idea.
(Piano playing)
We're just going to repeat that to create a motor out of this.
Now the next thing we want to hear is that "five years out" main idea.
So now, we get a kind of hushed expectant fanfare in the horns:
(Piano playing)
goes down;
five years out;
goes up.
Meanwhile, we'll hear the flute and xylophones start tapping out
our Morse code starting on "A",
(Piano playing)
but now, that "five years out" idea becomes its own full-fledged melody.
(Piano playing)
And finally, that "five years out", instead of falling,
now rises to a climax, "five years out".
(Piano playing)
And we go back to our original two ideas of "Arrow",
(Piano playing)
followed by "five years out".
Hopefully, written in a way that captures that confident optimism
that is the ethos of Arrow Electronics.
Let's listen to just that much so far.
(Music)
Of course, the music continues
and unfortunately, we don't have enough time to hear the whole piece,
but thank you.
(Applause)
Sounds a lot better when played by my friends at the Colorado Symphony.
Is that it? Is that all we can express?
No, no, no, no.
Let's go on, let's go back to that idea of the Morse code.
So, if we return here, we can see that the letter "V",
also known as the Roman numeral five, would be created as a rhythm like this.
(Piano playing)
I like that, so let's use that to kind of get things started again.
Up to this point,
the 5-1-5 idea of "five years out"
(Piano playing)
has been kind dominant.
(Piano playing)
New ending--
(Piano playing)
But now instead of 5-1-5, we are going to get 1-5-1,
(Piano playing)
I'll explain this a little bit later,
but the really cool thing that this section allows us to do
is we end up modulating to the key of "W".
(Piano playing)
also known as "B".
We'll call it "B+", because there is an extra pitch right there.
(Piano playing)
I told you things could get a little kookier, well, here we go.
When we get to the key of "W",
the flute is going to take the main theme,
kind of a dark version of that,
(Piano playing)
add just one note or two,
and then flip it upside down to create a new theme.
(Piano playing)
Now, to point out
that this is an upside down version of the original theme,
the trombones are going to give that original theme,
so that we can hear them moving in mirror opposition.
(Piano playing)
If we start to think of these pitches not as just individual pitches
but tracing a basic shape
that would start to look like something like this.
Alright, so we can focus on the shape,
let's get rid of the notes and the staff.
It may not be clear whats happening yet,
but can you see it?
What about now?
Or now?
(Laughter)
What this means is, when we're in the key of "W",
the flute - her melody - is tracing a "W",
and because that melody is an inversion,
an upside down version of the original theme,
that means that the original theme has been tracing "A" all along.
I didn't tell you that before, but now you know.
Rich mentioned
that we hadn't really gone after this idea
that what's really special about "five years out"
is that's where - as they say at Arrow -
the practical meets the possible.
And if you move any slower than that, then you're moving too slow,
any further than that, and you're just dreaming.
So, can we express this idea, that magical moment
of where the practical meets the possible?
Yes we can, and the method we're going to use
is probably the most common method used by composers throughout history
for trying to imbue their music with more meaning.
And that is by quoting music that we already know the meaning of,
thereby borrowing that meaning for our purpose.
So, you may have noticed that our "five years out" idea
(Piano playing)
has a strong resemblance to what I think is the greatest fanfare ever written
(Piano playing)
Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.
But as the piece has evolved not just 5-1-5
(Piano playing)
but now 1-5-1
(Piano playing)
which comes from a theme
(Piano playing)
meant to represent the creation of the world.
(Piano playing)
Right? Timpani, back and forth, right?
If we borrow the meaning
from these references of the "Common Man" and "Creation",
we can combine the man-made and the divine,
this is work,
this is inspiration,
this is the practical,
this is the possible.
(Piano playing)
Every time we get the theme,
our original theme that emphasized 1-5-1, expression of the "Common Man"
(Piano playing)
now, we'll get an answer with the possible, using 1-5-1.
(Piano playing)
So, 5-1-5
(Piano playing)
and eventually, the main theme itself becomes 1-5-1: the divine.
(Piano playing)
That special moment when our work becomes our inspiration.
Meanwhile, the violins are creating a motor
that combines these two ideas: 5-1-5 and 1-5-1.
(Piano playing)
As well as we'll hear a fanfare that combines the divine and the man-made:
mankind
(Piano playing)
divine.
(Piano playing)
Then we'll hear the theme that we now recognize as home.
What does all this mean?
Well, science is a study of how things happen.
Invention is the combination and recombination
of ideas to create new ideas.
Art is the use of science and invention to try to express something.
What does it express?
It may be something as simple as a deep sense of emotion or mood,
but I hope that I've demonstrated
that it also can express very tangible ideas.
I hope that we can also draw from this, that in life as in art,
if we're ever looking for more meaning,
we only need to look more closely at what is already there.
How many times in our lives have we hoped for more love,
more joy, more inspiration, more meaning?
Art says to us, "All you have to do
is look a little deeper and recognize things for what they really are,
and what emerges has all the meaning we could ever hope for."
I'd like to thank you, but also like to let the music speak last.
It's been an honor.
(Applause)
(Music)
(Applause)
Thank you.