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Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar
Bach's integration of complexity and simplicity
Date: Tuesday, March 7th
Time: 12:05 pm - 1:00 pm
Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
Speaker: Trevor Stephenson, Harpsicord
Abstract: Part of the miracle of Bach’s music is that no matter how contrapuntally layered and complex a piece becomes, the idea and the meaning are never lost. Using several examples from Bach’s The Well-tempered Clavier, I will bring play and discuss how Bach achieves clarity within extremely complex systems. I'll also look at how Bach deals with near-chaotic material, such as the fugue subjects that approach a-tonality; we'd look at how he breaks down a sense of key, and then rebuilds it. I’ll also show how the unique tuning (tempering) method for the The Well-tempered Clavier assists in giving each piece a unique acoustic color. I’ll bring my 17th-century Flemish harpsichord for the presentation.
Host: Clint Sprott
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