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Mark Tully pulls up a piano stool and appreciates harmony, in the company of pianist and composer David Owen Norris, who explains how Beethoven turned C major into dischord.

Mark Tully pulls up a piano stool and tries to understand the concept of harmony in the company of pianist and composer David Owen Norris, who suggests that it has more to do with mathematics than melody.

We might think that it is obvious what is harmonious and what is not, but our sense of musical harmony has developed over time - as David Owen Norris illustrates at the keyboard with the help of excerpts from Claude Debussy and Barbara Streisand.

But are we born with a sense of harmony? Do other cultures have a different appreciation of harmony? And just how did Beethoven manage to turn the chord of C Major into dissonance?

Producer: Adam Fowler.
A Unique production for 大象传媒 Radio 4.

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 17 Nov 2013 23:30
大象传媒 Radio 4

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Music Played

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Little Organ Fuge

    Performer: The Swingle Singers

    • Bach Hits Back.
    • Virgin Classics.
    • 724354504921.

  • In My Room

    Performer: The Beach Boys

    • Endless Summer.
    • Capitol.
    • CDP7464672.

  • David Owen Norris

    Trinity 鈥� God the Three-in-One

    Performer: Peter Savidge (baritone) | The Choristers of New College, Oxford | The Navarra String Quartet

    • Prayer Book.
    • EM Records.
    • EMR CD010.

  • Trad.

    Pilentze Pee

    Performer: Various

    • Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares.
    • 4AD.
    • CAD603CD.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 17 Nov 2013 06:05
    大象传媒 Radio 4
  • Sun 17 Nov 2013 23:30
    大象传媒 Radio 4