Music is, of course, formed by sounds, noises, audible thingies. Is that not the opposite of silence? What of silence? How do we know silence without sounds? How do we know sounds without silence?
Let us start with the opening of a well-known song.
A piano plays three simple arpeggios at a moderate pace, then repeats them, accompanied by the bass.
There is a pause; two seconds of silence.
The singer starts the first verse, accompanied by the piano, playing at faster pace. The song builds at this pace to the chorus.
It is the start of that electro-popular song “Video Killed the Radio Star”.
The silence may be said to provide punctuation. The opening is reflective; the main body of the song, starting with that first verse is more active. Thus the silence provides what may be seen as punctuation.
Further into the song there is another, similar, pause at 2 minutes 22 seconds following the lines “Pictures came, and broke your heart; Put the b-lame on V. T. R.”. The music fades down to a reflective stillness over seven seconds ... then resumes for the outro.
So one might say that one of the key points of silence is its rôle in helping the shaping of music. Silence frames a piece of music; silence before it starts and silence as it finishes. As we have seen it can also be used at key moments as punctuation.
Another simple example can be found at the beginning of “Carmina Burana” (the very popular classical work by Carl Orf). “Oh Fortuna” is the short opening movement. It starts with a strong downbeat and a slow chorale-like declaration from the choir at high volume.
There is a dramatic pause.
Then the choir returns quietly, singing simple staccato notes as the pianos and string section play a double time rhythm beneath.
This is a dramatic beginning to a work; that moment of silence, that “full stop” of half a bar, helps to emphasize that drama.
What if one were to cut away that moment? Let the choir and strings dive straight into the next section? The effect would be so different.
In a less dramatic mood, singer-songwriters might use a moment of silence to help shape the music; help underpin the tone and the feelings expressed by the music. Thus, Joni Mitchell, at the beginning of her beautiful song “Blue” plays the gentle, thoughtful, opening chords, then sings that title word and pauses for a short while, as if to reflect upon what is to come, what she feels and how best to express it.
Another example of silence and stillness helping to shape the music could be the closing pages of Mahler’s Ninth in D Major. In the world of the classical symphony the music often concludes with a grand, full orchestral gesture, all the instruments splashing down into the home key.
Not this symphony. The fourth movement is marked zurückhaltend, or ‘very slowly and held back’ and this is how much of the movement sounds. The final two pages (depending upon the performance) last about six minutes. The different instruments, pause, reflect, play a little, pause, overlap, hand over to other instruments. These last two pages end in a long gentle fade into silence and stillness. (The last note, marked to be played as “dying away” is not even in the home key but a semitone above - not D but Eb.) Many say that this reflecting upon Mahler’s uncertainty about his future. This was the last complete work he wrote and he died before the first performance.
So. Pop and classical and singer-songwriter can do “silence and stillness”. What of electronic music? That is characterised by insistent, repetitive grooves is it not? No room for silence there! That's just relentless noise and beats, innit?
And yet…
Dua Lipa’s electro-pop tune “Break My Heart” starts with a steady mid-tempo beat, then she starts singing. One minute in she sings "Stay.” “At.” “Home." Each word is punctuated by a sharp silence.
Other examples? Massive Attack’s “Protection” start with beats punctuated with silent stops; Underworld’s “Tongue” starts with simple echo-y guitar chords punctuated with silent stops.
Music is not only sounds; music is silence and stillness. There are, of course, many more ways that silence can help to shape sounds and create music and therefore feelings and emotions. The next tune you put on your record player, or when you switch on the radio, take some time to see if the music is indeed shaped by silence and if so, how.
(Perhaps there are opportunities in the future to discuss further the art and influence of stillness in music?)