Kahn Institute attracts noted composer
Emma Ramsay
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Arts
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Richard Einhorn's body of work is prolific and highly varied. He creates strikingly beautiful compositions as well as large-scale productions with historical, social and political issues in mind. His latest work, The Origin - an opera/oratorio celebrating the life of Charles Darwin - is evidence of this.
Tomorrow, Einhorn will give a lecture titled "Science and Music: Same Thing, Only Different" in the Neilson Library Browsing Room at 4:30 p.m. This event is free of charge and open to the public.
Though his lecture will primarily concern the parallels between scientific and musical experimentation, it will also underscore an important issue: the tension between technology and music.
Some feel that the rapid technological development in recent years has compromised the aesthetic quality of music. Others feel that these improvements have altered our expectations.
"Music is accessible in a way unlike before," noted chemistry Professor Lale Burk, the event's coordinator. "Now people take it for granted, and performances are taken for granted."
Einhorn's lecture will touch upon these anxieties in addition to comparing science and music.
Music is always expressed through technological means - our throats are a highly-evolved technology, after all," said Einhorn. "And let's not forget that there are few gadgets in the world as complicated as a grand piano," he added jokingly.
Humor aside, Einhorn is aware of the complexity of his subject. "The relationship between music and technology is so multi-faceted and so rich I could easily put together a syllabus for a year-long seminar and still not cover all the crucial issues," he admitted.
If nothing else, Einhorn wanted to note that despite the fascinating connections between science and music and the domineering influence of technological trends, "Composers don't do science. They write music." He elaborated, "Often, it seems as if the artist aspires to the status of the scientist - we'd like to claim we actually know something about the real world. But we don't, we can't, and even if we did, no one would ever believe us, anyway."
Tomorrow, Einhorn will give a lecture titled "Science and Music: Same Thing, Only Different" in the Neilson Library Browsing Room at 4:30 p.m. This event is free of charge and open to the public.
Though his lecture will primarily concern the parallels between scientific and musical experimentation, it will also underscore an important issue: the tension between technology and music.
Some feel that the rapid technological development in recent years has compromised the aesthetic quality of music. Others feel that these improvements have altered our expectations.
"Music is accessible in a way unlike before," noted chemistry Professor Lale Burk, the event's coordinator. "Now people take it for granted, and performances are taken for granted."
Einhorn's lecture will touch upon these anxieties in addition to comparing science and music.
Music is always expressed through technological means - our throats are a highly-evolved technology, after all," said Einhorn. "And let's not forget that there are few gadgets in the world as complicated as a grand piano," he added jokingly.
Humor aside, Einhorn is aware of the complexity of his subject. "The relationship between music and technology is so multi-faceted and so rich I could easily put together a syllabus for a year-long seminar and still not cover all the crucial issues," he admitted.
If nothing else, Einhorn wanted to note that despite the fascinating connections between science and music and the domineering influence of technological trends, "Composers don't do science. They write music." He elaborated, "Often, it seems as if the artist aspires to the status of the scientist - we'd like to claim we actually know something about the real world. But we don't, we can't, and even if we did, no one would ever believe us, anyway."
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