Will composers run out of new combinations of musical notes to create original melodies? Or are there infinite combinations? (continued)
听
Advertisement
Richard Widdess Department of Music, SOAS University of London
The question cannot be answered because it is under-specified. If it is just a question of new combinations of notes, then it is obvious that we can always add another note to an existing sequence, just as we can add 1 to any other number and generate a new number. If there is a limit on the length of a melody, or a minimal difference between melodies that is greater than one note, or there are rules of combination that must be followed, then the number of possible melodies may be finite.
In language, linguist Noam Chomsky has argued that recursive syntax can, in principle, generate an infinite number of grammatical sentences. It is an intriguing question, as yet unresolved, whether the same could be true of melody.
听
Kaye Butler Highworth, Queensland, Australia
A previous answer to this question (4 December) cites a musical piece by John Cage with the title 4鈥�33鈥� (4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence, i.e. absolute zero sound). For the uninitiated, 4鈥�33鈥� isn鈥檛 a random number but is 273 seconds. Geddit?
听
Natalie Roberts Watford, Hertfordshire, UK
John Cage鈥檚 silent composition 4鈥�33鈥� may be considered a baseline for any variation of tune, just as long as the duration and/or sounds are altered. This appears reasonable, theoretically speaking, but reminded me of something I read that illustrates a flaw in this approach.
The estate of Cage supposedly threatened to sue another artist, Mike Batt, for plagiarism. Batt had launched an album with his band, The Planets, that included a piece composed of 1 minute of total silence. Cage鈥檚 lawyers apparently argued that this new silent composition was plagiarised (the lawsuit ).
So although the variety of 鈥渢unes鈥� may be infinite, too little variation will lead to accusations of plagiarism. By the way, Batt pointed out that his piece was better anyway, as he could 鈥渟ay in one minute what Cage could only say in 4 minutes and 33 seconds鈥�.
听
To answer this question 鈥� or ask a new one 鈥� email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
麻豆传媒 retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format.