An exceptionally worthy contribution, Geremia! I shall order both books tomorrow. What an admirable discussion of polyphonic thought. Music is, after all, thought.

The video does not record what turned out to be a very lively Q & A. At CUA this goes on formally for about an hour and is continued informally during a nice reception in the foyer. At St. John's the Question Period after lectures is in many ways the highlight of the evening, often lasting several hours.

Iirc, one of the questions raised after this lecture, as after the previous lecture, was whether polyphony divides our attention between God and man, and keeps us from focusing entirely on God.

One might say that chant has a unity of attention and intention. It is as it were a single voice crying out to God. Polyphony adds a dialogical element among the singers, who answer each other as well as crying out to God.

Solemn High Mass allows Polyphony....
Welshmen, untrained singers....

Thank you Geremia.

This immediately reminded me of a phenomenon that was discovered about 10 years ago by NASA which had me quite taken in. The explanation is here:

https://youtu.be/jgQ9THRckJ0

example here:

https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/archive/PIA17045_20130906-640.mp4

I have one of the four hour long sound files of the plasma waves as Voyager captured them travelling through space. I have listened to it many times from start to finish. The polyphonic structural threads occur mainly as a metamorphosis of elongated pitches weaving in and out of each other. The time expanse makes it less recognizable as polyphony, but if you begin the recording at say, 10 minute intervals along the entire four hours and play each succeeding section for 20 seconds, you will definitely more easily recognize and hear the uniqueness of the intervals along the entire path of time.

It is quite fascinating, and is immediately identifiable as polyphonic music that occurs in the cosmos.

Some of my musi-theoretical instruction delves into the very simple and beautiful elements of the harmonic series which also touches on this phenomenon in that all of our musical making carries with it a type of polyphony whereby we activate the harmonic series, even by playing a single fundamental. This occurs very little in synthesis (simulicra) as the harmonic series is practically eliminated as it focuses on a single pitch without the relational harmonic spectrum and accompanying tension produced by the overtones which naturally exist within truly acoustical sonorities. It also must be acknowledged that an electronic medium is almost completely Uni-directional and is practically void of the property of naturally occuring overtones. You might call this sterility in sound. Naturally occuring mediums are Omni-directional. This is why a real pipe organ feels as though it is coming from no particular direction and literally surrounds the listener. The same is also true of a choir. ... this is not true of electronically produced music.

It is also important to note that any medium producing any fundamental or partial also immediately causes naturally occuring polyphonic subtleties within the resonance of its immediate environmental surroundings. This is what we call sympathetic vibrations which are also almost always unpredictable. This is why the same choir singing in the country church will sound completely different singing in a Basilica... the differences which emerge are the unpredictable (what I would call the mysticism of sound or music) which is then overlaid on the directly sounding medium, and is joined together and perceived by the listener with all of its subtleties. This musical 'reality' as opposed to musical 'sterility' is what engages us or loses us to the present moment.

This is why musical recordings can become so "boring" after repeated hearings... even excellent natural mediums recorded in wonderfully natural acoustical environments. It is because our brains pick up on the subtleties of constantly newly revealed (mystical polyphony) which emerge even when music is repeated in the exact same location by the exact same performers. No two performances will ever be the same.

We know that the church does not allow for recorded music in its liturgies. I don't know if this is part of that reason, but I think it is intricately linked to the phenomenon.

This is why simulacrum, are in a sense, so 'dangerous' to our need and our constant absorption of mystical polyphonic harmonics. It does not occur (or occurs very little, almost in vaccuum) because it is not a true acoustical medium.

It is an interesting study in the opposite direction - why entirely produced electronic music can put one in a trance. It is in a certain sense, completely devoid of any mystical properties whatsoever and literally gives the mind over to complete musical sterility... 'audio starvation'... even though one is immersed in sound. (e.g., Deadmou5e) [many examples here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=deadmou5e]

Hypnocurrency is a truly good example of the musical vaccuum. Every "LIVE" performance sounds exactly the same.

https://youtu.be/RT2No1vusjg

UPDATE

More on the harmonic series:

The very basic elements as explained by Leonard Bernstein

https://youtu.be/3TlQryUBz3E

Two websites I use to explain the harmonic series to my students:

https://harmonicarium.org/app/

https://alexanderchen.github.io/harmonics/?howmany=16

NOTE: at the very end of the URL, you can change the number of harmonics displayed and which you are able to perform. (try replacing "=16" with "=36" . . . you can then easily realize where we get our chord structures, chromatic scale and more...

3rd through 7th partials = Dominant 7th chord
8th through 12 partials = first five notes of the Lydian mode
11th through 21st partials = chromatic scale

It is also important to note that any medium producing any fundamental or partial also immediately causes naturally occuring polyphonic subtleties within the resonance of its immediate environmental surroundings. This is what we call sympathetic vibrations which are also almost always unpredictable. This is why the same choir singing in the country church will sound completely different singing in a Basilica...

As far as I know (organists, please confirm or dispute!) this also occurs between different organ registers, or even within the same register, such that almost identical frequencies within the tuning can become exactly identical (through their strong 'coupling' within the organ case); something that simulacra cannot simulate (yet) to my knowledge.

The mind, heart and soul of most listeners may not understand (intellectually) any of these benefits but most assuredly receive their life giving benefits, if one is so fortunate to regularly reside within the confines of its musical activity.

Plus: I wonder how many really hear the difference; I remember like yesterday the "wow!" effect when the organ in our parish church had undergone a (desperately needed) full restoration.
Not the slightest doubt I would have been deeply impressed even without any musical training; though while I was listening in awe to the postlude, most people rushed for the coffee, chatting...

P.S. What is '1/2 a city block long' in continental-European units???

@Elmar

Plus: I wonder how many really hear the difference; I remember like yesterday the "wow!" effect when the organ in our parish church had undergone a (desperately needed) full restoration.

Not the slightest doubt I would have been deeply impressed even without any musical training; though while I was listening in awe to the postlude, most people rushed for the coffee, chatting...

Let them live with the true beauty for a few years. Then one Sunday tell them you are switching over to a Yamaha grand piano or a three manual Allen... because it's more cost effective... report back please... (if you haven't been fired.)

{At the present I am stuck with two Allen organs where I play for two churches... The three manual Rennaisance truly reflects the philosophy and architecture of a typical VII parish where it was installed. I prefer to have the choir sing a cappella than use the ugly monstrosity. The two manual Protege is better and in a traditional church, but only because it is in a choir loft, has a pretty good speaker system, and I know what to avoid... and you do have to avoid things or you could cause children to cry.

However, after "driving" the Pasi week in and week out a few years back (see attachments), I now actually regret having to put on my organ shoes to sit at either Allen.}

Forgot about that! TNX CHG. Was very restrained in when I used it. Most def for Holy Thurs, Easter and Christmas, and maybe a handful of holy days. TB... another great builder. In fact, I think I may have had Christopher there a time or two for tuning, etc.

@CHGiffen

I did not even know there was a Fisk there or I would have definitely 'tracked' it down and jumped on... I seem to recollect that Richmond has a wealth of wonderful organs, and the Pasi was near if not at the top of the heap.

cost effective...

don't you love those words... is the worship of Almighty God cost effective?? I think the answer to that has become very clear in the past 12 months.

@Elmar

Where are you located? Perhaps I can come out and give it a whirl!

.

Not sure how this conversation drifted from the posted lecture to this old argument about digital organs.

Regarding the origins of polyphony, I once made the mistake of discussing flying buttresses with a class of 6th graders.

continue drifting...

...this led me to comment on the fact that simulacra have NO harmonics whatsover...

Well, the DO have harmonics - but strictly the sampled ones, not the ones that come from the harmony. And that's the striking thing in polyphony (ha, back to topic!) that the tones and their respective overtones harmonize with each other in constantly evolving ways.
It's amazing when you hear this happen without even understanding how it works - and even more amazing once you start to understand it!

" moving everything to new thread. "

Be careful what you sew.

How else are we going to keep the audience in stitches?

Kinda like the bad seamstress whose motto was: You rip what you sew.

I Gather that the Notions of my Piping is a Gore