Customer Reviews

The Secret Power of Music: The Transformation of Self and Society through Musical Energy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The intention of this book is in the right place. It's a wake-up call to society on the destructive effects of modern music, and conversely, the healing power of the more traditional forms.

The author discusses 20TH Century classical music (the "New Music"), jazz & rock, Indian, and Chinese music, and discusses the physiological effects of music. His discussion about Chinese and Indian music is fascinating, and he seems fairly objective here (not in being strictly factual (he includes the oriental theories and myths in the material), but rather that he is able to discuss this music without passing esthetic judgement.)

His discussion of the "New Music" and Rock/Jazz is much too one-sided. I totally agree with him that early jazz (the blues) and rock are particulary destructive (stand back and examine the lyrics to most songs... I rest my case.) I would also agree with the author that the atonality of most 20TH century "classical" music, not being rooted in the physics of the harmonic series, is also very destructive. (As he points out, this music is so universally disliked that in practice it's not so destructive -- because few people listen to it.)

However, there are several inaccuracies in his critique of 20TH century art forms, and he argues his case with the fanaticism ......... that I find most unattractive. He is also quite fond of circular reasoning.

As one example, he criticizes composer Steve Reich for having imitated the rythmns of african drumming in his music, claiming that Reich is somehow re-enacting barbaric voodoo rituals in his music. Yes, it's true that Reich's inspiration comes his study of African drumming, but to claim that Reich is consciously (or unconsciously for that matter) attempting to create music suitable for voodoo is absolutely ridiculus. (For one thing, drumming is part of all African ritual, both voodoo and more constructive uses.) In his section on rock, he compares the incessant drumbeat to a shaman's ritual, and notes that rock drummers can sometimes move into a trance state during their performances. Yet, that's the whole point of shamanic drumming (the trance), and that's part of the healing, not the destructive, power of the drum.

He spends a page deriding Wendy Carlos' "Switched on Bach" recordings, yet for that whole page, he never really explained what made them bad, except that they were synthesized (so that makes them bad?) and that they made a lot of money. His scathing criticisms about the use of computers to compose or teach music are really unfair and miss the point entirely. Computer composition in the 70's were really about AI experimentation - I'm sure nobody thought that computers would actually compete with a human composer!

His main complaint about Jazz is it's over-sesuality. I would agree with him here, after re-listening to some of my (instrumental) jazz recordings. Yet so is the Isolde Liebestod from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde", yet he holds Wagner's music in high esteem. (as well he should :-) For some people, sensuous jazz would be healing. For others it is unbalancing. Yet the author seems unable or unwilling to provide a more moderate view of music.

I see that some of Tame's opinions on "new" music and jazz/blues etc. have angered some of the earlier reviewers, and I do agree that in a few cases he might be a bit harsh in his perspective while boosting music that is not that much better. However, in general, I believe his perspectives to be right on, not out of the mind of strict repressive fundamentalist, but out of the mind and heart of a being who is witnessing music as it really is, and is not afraid to use his discernment with a bigger scope than most might. This book gives important insight into music, and regardless of your orientation to music, it will give you a much deeper perspective, and I recomend it to all of you. His perspectives are greatly needed, and his discernment is in most cases very good. If more musicians read this book and took it to heart, we would at least find ourselves in the midst of a more mindful, selfless, and intelligent music than we would otherwise.

I have not studied music formally, but for many years have been listening, and have taught myself how to read, write and play for the piano. I very much enloyed Mr. Tame's book for several reasons. I believe it to be clearly written (which unfortunately is not a general trait of music writers) replete of the writer's love of music, and with enough wit and irony to punctuate his justified disgust over many forms of modern music. What I liked, however, most about the book was the effort he spent in trying to prove his belief that it is music that more influences culture than the converse. The case he makes for this, whether or not one agrees, is compelling. Especially when one observes what has become of the music that sprang on this culture about a century ago, and how contemporary music of this type is affecting those who listen to it. If one takes only a moment to observe the general effect that punk, rap, and the various forms of heavy metal, have on their respective listeners, I think one would see that it is generally negative. Indeed, if noise, anger and brutality encouragement are not the trademarks of such music, than what are the trademarks? And how could such messages not have a negative impact on an impressionable minds exposed for several hours a day to them? I think in his book Mr. Tame expresses valid concern over the disasterous impact that much of modern music is having on its listeners, and society overall. And I believe his concern is more and more justified as the new millennium approaches.

Music is the language of the soul, perhaps even more powerfully so than is poetry. This book opened my eyes to the realization that there is much more to music than "entertainment". In one sense it is true that "we are what we eat", since our bodies are composed by the substances we partake of as food. But, most of us do not realize how we are influenced at the psychological or soul level by the music that is a part of our lives. After reading this book I understand that Music is one of the most powerful forces in the shaping of our destiny and personalities. This may sound like "too much", but, I may suggest that you reserve such a judgment until after you read it!

This book is interesting, I will give it that; however, there are many problems I see in it, a few of which I will list here.

First, the author appears to be coming from a premise of a combination of spiritualism, mysticism, and a dose of Christian theosophism. There are distinct underlying premises and presuppositions about human nature, morality, and the spiritual that clearly will have an affect on any discourse on the power of music with relation to humanity.

Second, multiple logical errors and fallacies are made, including false dichotomies and mixing correlation with causation (or, you might say, symptoms and causes). For example, when discussing ancient Chinese civilization and the alleged practice to listen to the music of various regions to assess the country's unity, it is alleged that the music was the *cause* of the unity or discord, rather than simply a symptom. A plausible and logical argument could be made that the music (along with diet, dance style, clothing, and a host of other cultural idiosyncrasies) is simply a symptom of the relative discord or unity, but not the cause.

Third, a variety of factual errors are presented. For example, there appears to be no evidence that Tchaikovsky committed an "honor" suicide - that is simply theorized, but entirely unproven. Or, as another example, the fake Priory of Sion list that included Debussy has (in 1993) been shown/admitted to be a hoax. Other hasty generalizations that could very easily be seen as factual errors are references to the character and relative morality of classical and romantic composers, the alleged goal or aim of these composers (altruism, spiritual enlightenment, betterment of humanity, etc).

Fourth, there are many, many unfounded, non-cited, non-referenced, and quite broad assertions about everything from composer's lives to music history to music influences; some of them are clearly faulty according to known music history. For example, the idea that classical music almost solely was based on music from the church is simply not true; there was much secular music (all dance music!) throughout the ages, and there were entire classical forms (the dance suite) based on them, and their influence on other classical forms is quite evident. Furthermore, much folk music was incorporated into classical music before the 20th century.

Fifth, the assertions of inherent morality of a given music genre tends to be drawn from the way the music was used; however, it is overlooked that much of the classical music before the 20th century was not only used for, shall we say, seedy purposes, but much of it used references or depictions of immoral behavior as part of the entertainment; for example, many operas deal with extramarital sex, trysts, murders, the occult, and the like... and not only the ones towards the end of the 19th century.

To summarize, I have found the book to be very entirely based on a mystic worldview, and get the sense that the author wanted to make his point before knowing whether or not the evidence supported it. Furthermore, the faulty logic, factual errors, bad reasoning, and apparent lack of knowledge of music history make it hard to take the author seriously. If you do read this book, I would suggest you fact-check much of what the author says, and not be confused when the author confuses or misapplies terms.

Anyone who is interested in leading a spiritual life should read this book. To know what music can do to you, good or bad, is important, so one can make an informed choice.

I am not a music scholar, that may be a good thing. Keep an open mind!

Martin Luther said that next to the word of God, music has the most power to move the human soul. And Luther knew both very well!

What would a movie be without a sound track? What would life be without music? Music is powerful. Tame's book does us the favor of beginning us thinking and investigating and being attentive to music's influence.

I agree with several other reviewers who contend that in certain arguments, justification for critique is not forthcoming. Thus four stars instead of five.

This book sat on my shelf for many years, unread. When I finally began reading it today, I was disgusted by the holier-than-thou attitudes.

Speaking of Buddy Bolden as one of the first jazz musicians, the author is unable to say anything meaningful about his actual music. Tame instead discusses the heavy drinking and syphilis which led to Bolden's commitment to a state institution, and then casts a pall over the whole genre by stating that Bolden's degenerate biography "set the pattern for all that jazz was to become and result in." Critics that are unable to describe anything specific about the actual techniques of music are a dime-a-dozen, and predictably, Tame focuses here on the personal life of the musician rather than the music itself. Tame's comments about jazz are insulting to anyone who has played and/or listened to jazz. Not all jazz musicians have substance abuse problems or social diseases: I played jazz for over 4 decades and have neither, thank you. And if some musicians have bad habits, that is their business: listen to the MUSIC, damn it.

Perhaps it is the improvisational component of jazz that upsets Tame. In the twentieth century, improvisation had for the most part become a lost art in academic and art music circles, even though it was known that many composers such as Mozart, Bach and Beethoven could improvise with a facility that rivaled their compositional abilities. Jazz musicians have a common vocabulary and a common if unspoken etiquette for musical interaction. Even more importantly, they have a solid aural tradition; and in the course of their learning process (often a largely self-taught one) they learn much of what they know by imitation and memorization, without the use of written scores. The free-flowing, spontaneous musical result of such an education clearly poses a threat to someone as obviously anal-retentive as Mr. Tame.

I studied 16th century counterpoint with the famous music educator and scholar Douglass M. Green. He once pointed out to me that, during his tenure at the Eastman School of Music, he noticed that jazz musicians often were better at writing counterpoint (both 16th and 18th century) than their fellow students who only had a classical background. The clear connection between the melodic content of classical counterpoint and modern jazz improvisation belies Tame's implications that jazz is simply a late-arriving aberration.

A glance at the index of this book reveals the extent of the author's expertise regarding jazz: jazz great John Coltrane is not even mentioned in a book published 18 years after his death.

Another troubling aspect of this book is the liberal sprinkling of homophobic comments. The author tells us that the ancient Greeks started playing too many notes without enough substance, degenerated into homosexuality, and then the whole civilization fell into ruin. He describes Tchaikovsky's downward spiral as the result of his sexual preference, without even considering the possibility that societal attitudes and mores that push certain behaviors into the shadows may be the real problem.

As another reviewer pointed out, lumping Stravinsky's marvelous "Rite of Spring" in with John Cage's music constitutes a critical brush-stroke that is much too broad in its dismissal of most 20th century art music.

Like a eunuch in a harem, David Tame is just another critic who knows how it's done, sees it done every day, but cannot do it himself. (Thanks to Brendan Francis Behan for that pithy quote.)

David Tame has presented fascinating information that affects us all. This is a brilliantly written book in easy to understand language and terms for anyone who is not familiar with different composers or their compositions as well as for those who appreciate music. The information given is an eye opener as to the effects of various kinds of sound on body, mind and soul. It is a revelation as to how much sound does affect everyone and our society whether we are aware of it or not.

I found this book absolutely fascinating. For years I have wondered how 'Conservative' talk show hosts could preach such hatred and bigotry yet sprinkle their shows with tons of so-called 'liberal' music. Rush, Hannity, Drudge, and Ingrahm all do this on their radio talk shows. The author of 'The Secret Power of Music' gives the answer. These 'conservatives' just like the fake money preachers on tv are under the same degenerate hypnotic effect of music as everyone else. In fact if you listen closely, these so-called 'family-values' hosts are inexplicably drawn and fascinated by music that exibits the most liberal of values - talk about cognitive dissonance.