Home 1. Introduction 2. Markers 3. Archive 4. Audible Markers 5. Visible Markers 6. Notational Markers 7. Conclusion
3.1. Integrated Silences 3.2. Inherent Silences 3.3. Silent Discourse 3.4. Meta-Silences 3.5. Silencings
3.4 Meta-Silences that Arise from the Work or Context
Silences that arise from the work are not notated. This section offers examples of silences that are induced in the audience via the notes, the repetition, and the flow of the composition. These silences do not arise from notated rests, and the composition is not necessarily composed of silences. Sometimes, the performance itself or the context can summon silence.
In Chapter 1, I suggested the term meta-silences to describe non-notated audience silences that usually arise from ritual or behavioral norms. These might be the audience’s respectful silence before, during, and after a performance (the silence of decorum); or the awed silence after a particularly moving concert; or the silence which is engendered by intensely spiritual music; or the calm that comes from meditative music; or the inner peace which can arise from parameter-based (minimalist) music. These silences have a ritual, societal, or contextual origin. Costumes, lighting, and décor might play a role too. So does the behavior of an audience as a group. Often, the markers are visible, as in the high vaulting of a cathedral or the shadowy layers of wood inside a Japanese temple.