Summary
This article contemplates the concept of silence and its various forms and meanings, particularly in the context of art and music. The text mentions that silence can be a form of the highest order, and can be seen in various art forms seeking to transcend themselves. It is also described as a timeless language that lies behind all words and a form of non-thought that is the highest form of thought. The text also mentions the concept of yugen, or a mysterious aura, and how it can be achieved through hints and indescribable elements. The text cites various sources such as philosophers, poets, and writers to support its ideas. It also touches on the idea that effective action can come from a lack of awareness and that the brain activity of skilled individuals can be lower when they are performing well. It mentions that silence can be used as a contrast to sound, as a means of expression in itself, as a way of creating unity or continuity, and as a compositional element. The text also mentions the idea that every form of art seeks to transcend itself, and that silence is an extreme form of the highest order that can allow other parts of the brain to become active. The text cites various examples of the use of silence in music and literature, such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Mozart's Symphony No. 40, and John Cage's "4'33"". It also discusses the idea of a Platonic language of silence that lies behind all words, and the concept of yugen, or a mysterious aura, in art. The text also touches on the idea that effective action can come from a lack of awareness and that the brain activity of skilled individuals can be lower when they are performing well.
To test your understanding of the material, try the English quiz below. Scroll down for the Norwegian version of the text.
"Forms of Silence" from the program for the Winter Festival in Bergstaden in 2007
The deep C in Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, which lies before sunrise, is like an imprint of the silence before the universe was created. According to modern physics, the universe emerges from something called the zero-point energy. This energy can best be described as absolute silence, and is present everywhere. Another way to explain this is that we are the Big Bang here and now, and always have been. In Indian philosophy, we have the same insight in the form of the gods Brahma (the creator) and Shiva (the destroyer): Shiva constantly cuts away the old, so that the universe is an eternal fresh creation here and now.
The second movement from Ravel's Piano Concerto in G-Dur is also more related to silence than to sound. The same applies to the adagio movement from Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 132 and the adagio from Mahler's 5th Symphony. But even behind the deafening C-Dur chord that ends Skrjabin's
Le Poème de l'extase, we find the same transcendent silence—as Obstfelder's sleepwalker-like poetry also describes the unspeakable silence, even behind the highest scream.
In music, silence can be used as a contrast to sound, highlighting the importance of particular moments or adding tension and drama to a piece. For example, the use of silence in the opening of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is one of the most famous examples of this technique. The first four notes of the symphony are followed by a long pause, which adds emphasis to the famous "fate" motive that follows. Silence can also be used as a means of expression in itself. In some pieces of music, silence is used as a way of conveying emotion or creating a sense of mystery or suspense. For example, the use of silence in the finale of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 is used to create a sense of tension and anticipation, as the music builds towards a dramatic conclusion. Silence can also be used as a means of creating a sense of unity or continuity. For example, in the Baroque period, composers such as Bach and Handel often used a technique called "ritornello," in which a short musical motive was repeated throughout a piece, with the rest of the music changing around it. This technique created a sense of unity and coherence, and the repetition of the motive helped to anchor the piece in the listener's mind. The composer John Cage is perhaps best known for his work with silence and the use of silence as a compositional element. In his famous piece "4'33"", Cage instructed the performer to sit in front of the audience for four minutes and thirty-three seconds, during which no sounds were to be played. The piece was meant to encourage listeners to pay attention to the sounds of the environment around them, and to consider the role of silence in music.
Silence is really an extreme form of the highest order. So silence is not something you contrive, that you try to practice or to become aware of. The moment you are aware that you are silent, it is not silence. Silence is the highest mathematical order, and in that silence the other parts of the brain that have not been occupied, that have not been active become totally active. (Jiddu Krishnamurti. This Light in Oneself, Shambala, Boston & London, 1999, page 69.)
Another form of silence is seen in the fact that every form seeks to transcend itself: the art forms seek each other. Pianist Glenn Gould liked best "anti-piano music", that is, the music that seeks to transcend the piano. Thomas Mann describes this point well in Kretzschmar's third lecture in Dr. Faustus: "It is the piano - an instrument that is absolutely not an instrument in the same sense as the others, because it lacks any trace of specialization. Of course, like other instruments, it can be treated as a solo instrument and used as a tool for virtuosity, but this is a special case and, if taken seriously, a misuse.
By claiming that Don Quixote is Cervantes' translation of an Arabic masterpiece he has found, Cervantes stretches, like all great poets, in the direction of the one Platonic language - the silence all words come out of. Cervantes' point is to indicate that he has translated the novel into Spanish from a timeless language in his own soul, and that any work must be translated back into the eternal Platonic ideas in the reader's own head. Antoine Berman writes in the article "Translation as Manifest" that a true literary work always unfolds towards such a translator horizon.
Lao Tzu opens the Tao Te Ching by saying that the Tao that can be spoken of is not the true Tao. His words are therefore pointers to a reality that is beyond what words can (be) grasp. Wittgenstein ends his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with "if one cannot speak of it, one must be silent".
The concept of "negative space" in art refers to the empty or unoccupied areas in a composition. These areas can be just as important as the positive, or occupied, areas, and can be used to create balance, tension, and depth in a work of art. The use of negative space can be seen as a form of silence, as it is the absence of visual elements that helps to define and shape the rest of the composition. Other examples of this can be seen in the way that the emptiness surrounding a subject in a painting or photograph helps to define and emphasize the subject itself. Silence can also be conveyed through the use of minimalism, in which the artist uses a limited number of elements or a simple composition to convey a sense of peace and stillness. In performance art, silence can be used as a means of conveying meaning or emotion. For example, in the work of artists such as Marina Abramovic, silence is often used as a way of inviting the viewer to engage with the work on a deeper level, and to consider the implications of the artist's actions.
Poets such as Rumi and John Keats have used silence in their work to create a sense of mystery and to invite the reader to consider the deeper implications of their words. For example, in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land," the use of silences and ellipses helps to create a sense of fragmentation and disjunction, reflecting the themes of the poem. Similarly, the use of silence in the works of Samuel Beckett, such as his play "Waiting for Godot," is used to convey a sense of absurdity and ennui.
In Zen Buddhism, silence is used as a means of cultivating mindfulness and achieving a deeper understanding of the nature of reality. This idea is reflected in the practice of "mokuso," or silent meditation, in which practitioners sit in silence and focus on their breath or a mantra in order to still the mind and cultivate a sense of inner peace. The concept of "apophasis," or the use of words to describe that which cannot be described, has been explored by philosophers and theologians for centuries. In apophatic language, silence is seen as a way of pointing beyond the limitations of language and expressing the ineffable or transcendent. This idea is often associated with mysticism and the belief that there are some experiences or truths that cannot be fully expressed in words.
In the Glass Bead Game, we see that Hermann Hesse moves around a core he never utters; he never tells exactly what the glass bead game is, and thereby achieves the greatest possible effect—what the Japanese call yugen: a mysterious aura around the glass bead game. Tolkien never describes Sauron, and by sketching something indescribable, the picture of Sauron becomes so powerful. Zen masters have for centuries tried to paint with as few strokes as possible. Director Night Shyamalan is a master at creating moods by hinting. "On the chessboard it is the unfinished threat that most strongly affects the game," writes Aron Nimzowitsch. Nietzsche believed that we act most effectively if we are unaware of our action. When measuring the brain activity of chess masters, it is found that brain activity is lower the better the chess player is. This again shows us that non-thought is the highest form of thought. "But it is an evolved silence, a silence that is ringed in. If black darkness is the absence of light, then the highest form of light is black darkness again: the poles look alike. Ignorance is the first step, knowledge is the second step, but to become a master we must unlearn this knowledge again in the third step. There is no way around the consciousness: the animal is unconscious in paradise. Man tries to be conscious in paradise. In his parable of the lost son who returns home, Jesus describes this three-part process; first one has unconscious perfection, then one turns away from it and recognizes oneself, and finally one has conscious perfection. In order to be able to turn around to see ourselves, to let nature see nature consciously, we created a distance between ourselves and what is being seen. This distance is what we tell ourselves we are: something separate. When we quiet down and sink within ourselves, this distance disappears: we become what we see. Leonardo da Vinci writes: "The lightness of the sketch will often seal the true line better than the finished work". The thoughts that surpass us—that we strive for, but cannot grasp—are shown in the questions we dare to leave unanswered. Then we dare to be on the way. If we live the questions, the universe itself will orchestrate the answer. The unsaid is what speaks most clearly to us: the image of God loses its power the clearer and more materialized it becomes. At the end of the anonymous medieval manuscript The Cloud of Unknowing is a long list of everything God is not. Buddha points to reality by saying what it is not. Botticelli's illustration of the Virgin Mary is a blank page.
Bach's music is an imprint of absolute reality. Therefore, different specialists find that Bach is the undisputed master no matter what thread they fish in with his music: it is totally abstract and can therefore be transferred to any area. Mathematicians believe he is the greatest mathematician who has lived, theologians believe he is the fifth evangelist, etc.
Bach himself despised those who needed an instrument to compose: the highest form of composition took place for him totally abstract. For Bach, music was an abstract casting of God's silence. If one imagines Bach as an executor who leafs through God's music book when he composes, one can say that Bach always writes the same piece, he plays so to speak God's music over and over again, and it comes out materialized as the seasons spun around the immovable mover. One of the ultimate examples of silence can be found in the last fugue in Die Kunst der Fuge, where he lets the three voices blend with a fourth, inaudible voice: the very Die Kunst der Fuge theme. When Bach's musical signature (the tones B-A-C-H) sounds in the last bars of the work, it is as if Bach's signature is God and God's signature Bach.
The silence in the music asks us to be quiet, to sink within ourselves and "be the music while the music is", as T.S. Eliot writes. In the same way as when we sleep in black dreamless sleep, we then return to the universe's zero point energy, and are recreated.
How will you know the pitch of that great bell
Too large for you to stir? Let but a flute
Play 'neath the fine-mixed metal listen close
Till the right note flows forth, a silvery rill.
Then shall the huge bell tremble—then the mass
With myriad waves concurrent shall respond
In low soft unison.
— George Eliot (Middlemarch)
Ancient pond
a frog jumps in
a moment after—silence
— Basho
Stillhetsformer
Den dype C-en som ligger før soloppgangen i Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, er som et avtrykk av stillheten før universet ble skapt. Ifølge moderne fysikk kommer universet ut av noe som kalles nullpunktsenergien. Denne energien kan best beskrives som absolutt stillhet, og befinner seg overalt. En annen måte å forklare dette på er at vi er Big Bang her og nå, og alltid har vært det. I indisk filosofi har vi den samme innsikten i form av gudene Brahma (skaperen) og Shiva (ødeleggeren): Shiva kutter bort alt det gamle hele tiden, slik at universet er en evig fersk skapelse her og nå.
Også andresatsen fra Ravels klaverkonsert i G-dur er mer beslektet med stillhet enn med lyd. Det samme gjelder adagiosatsen fra Beethovens strykekvartett op. 132 og adagioen fra Mahlers 5. symfoni. Men også bak den øredøvende C-durakkorden som avslutter Skrjabins
Le Poème de l’extase, finner vi den samme transcendente stillheten – slik også Obstfelders søvngjengeraktige poesi beskriver den usigelige stillheten, selv bak det høyeste skrik.
Silence is really an extreme form of the highest order. So silence in not something you contrive, that you try to practice or to become aware of. The moment you are aware that you are silent, it is not silence. Silence is the highest mathematical order, and in that silence the other parts of the brain that have not been occupied, that have not been active become totally active. (Jiddu Krishnamurti. This Light in Oneself, Shambala, Boston & London, 1999, side 69.)
En annen form for stillhet ser vi i det at enhver form søker ut over seg selv: kunstformene søker mot hverandre. Pianisten Glenn Gould likte best ”anti-klavermusikk”, altså den musikk som søker ut over klaveret. Thomas Mann beskriver dette poenget godt i Kretzschmars tredje forelesning i Dr. Faustus: ”Det er klaveret – et instrument som absolutt ikke er noe instrument i samme forstand som de andre, fordi det mangler ethvert preg av spesialisering. Riktignok kan det i likhet med andre instrumenter behandles som et soloinstrument og gjøres til redskap for virtuositet, men dette er et særtilfelle og, dersom man tar det nøye, et misbruk.” Ved å hevde at Don Quijote er Cervantes’ oversettelse av et arabisk mesterverk han har funnet, strekker Cervantes seg, som alle store poeter, i retning av det ene platonske språk – stillheten alle ord kommer ut av. Cervantes’ mening er å påpeke at han har oversatt romanen til spansk fra et tidløst språk i sin egen sjel, og at ethvert verk må oversettes tilbake til de evige platonske ideer i leserens eget hode. Antoine Berman skriver i artikkelen ”Oversettelsen som manifest” at et sant litterært verk alltid utfolder seg mot en slik oversetterhorisont.
Lao Tzu åpner Tao Te Ching med å si at det Tao som kan snakkes om, ikke er det virkelige Tao. Ordene hans er altså pekere mot en virkelighet som er bortenfor det ord kan (be-)gripe. Wittgenstein avslutter sin Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus med at ”om det man ikke kan tale, må man tie”.
I Glassperlespillet ser vi at Hermann Hesse beveger seg rundt en kjerne han aldri uttaler; han forteller aldri nøyaktig hva glassperlespillet er, og oppnår derved den størst mulige virkning – det japanere kaller yugen: en mystisk aura rundt glassperlespillet. Tolkien beskriver aldri Sauron, og nettopp ved at han bare skisserer noe ubeskrivelig, blir bildet av Sauron så kraftfullt. Zenmestre har i århundrer forsøkt å male med færrest mulig streker. Regissøren Night Shyamalan er en mester i å skape stemninger ved å antyde. ”På sjakkbrettet er det den uutførte trusselen som påvirker spillet sterkest,” skriver Aron Nimzowitsch. Nietzsche mente at vi handler mest effektivt dersom vi er oss vår handling ubevisst. Når man måler hjerneaktiviteten til sjakkmestre, finner man at hjerneaktiviteten er lavere jo bedre sjakkspilleren er. Dette viser oss igjen at ikke-tanke er den høyeste form for tanke. Men det er en evolvert stillhet, en stillhet som ringes inn. Dersom sort mørke er fravær av lys, så er den høyeste form for lys atter sort mørke: Polene ser like ut. Uvitenhet er første trinn, kunnskap er det andre trinn, men for å bli mester må vi avlære oss denne kunnskapen igjen i tredje trinn. Det er ingen vei utenom bevisstgjøringen: dyret er ubevisst i paradis. Mennesket forsøker å bli bevisst i paradis. I sin liknelse om den fortapte sønnen som vender hjem, beskriver Jesus denne tredelte prosessen; først har man ubevisst perfeksjon, så vender man seg bort fra den og erkjenner seg selv, og til sist har man bevisst perfeksjon. For å kunne vende oss om for å se oss selv, for å la naturen se natur bevisst, skapte vi en avstand mellom oss selv og det som blir sett. Denne avstanden er det vi forteller oss selv at vi er: noe adskilt. Når vi stilner og synker innover i oss selv forsvinner denne avstanden: vi blir det vi ser. Leonardo da Vinci skriver: ”Skissens letthet vil ofte besegle den sanne strek bedre enn det ferdige verket.” Tankene som overgår oss – som vi streber etter, men ikke klarer gripe – viser seg i spørsmålene vi våger å la være ubesvarte. Da våger vi å være underveis. Dersom vi lever spørsmålene vil universet selv orkestrere svaret. Det usagte er det som taler klarest til oss: Gudsbildet mister kraft jo klarere og mer materialisert det blir. På slutten av det anonyme middelalderskriftet The Cloud of Unknowing er det en lang liste over alt Gud ikke er. Buddha peker på virkeligheten ved å si hva den ikke er. Botticellis illustrasjon av jomfru Maria er en blank side.
Bachs musikk er et avtrykk av den absolutte virkeligheten. Derfor finner ulike spesialister ut at Bach er den ubestridte mester uansett hvilket garn de fisker i musikkens hans med: Den er totalt abstrakt og kan derved overføres til ethvert område. Matematikere mener han er den største matematikeren som har levd, teologer mener han er en den femte evangelist, etc.
Bach selv foraktet dem som trengte et instrument for å komponere: den høyeste form for komposisjon skjedde for ham totalt abstrakt. For Bach var musikk en abstrakt avstøpning av Guds stillhet. Dersom man tenker seg Bach som en utøver som bladspiller fra Guds musikkbok når han komponerer, kan man si at Bach alltid skriver det samme stykket, han spiller så å si Guds musikk om og om igjen, og den kommer ut materialisert som årstidene spunnet rundt den ubevegelige beveger. Et av de ultimate eksemplene på stillhet finner vi i den siste fugen i Die Kunst der Fuge, hvor han lar de tre stemmene blande seg med en fjerde, uhørlig stemme: selve Die Kunst der Fuge-temaet. Når Bachs musikalske signatur (tonene
B-A-C-H) lyder i verkets siste takter, er det som om Bachs signatur er Gud og Guds signatur Bach.
Stillheten i musikken ber oss om å bli stille, om å synke inn i oss selv og ”være musikken mens musikken er”, som T.S. Eliot skriver. På samme måte som når vi sover i sort drømmeløs søvn, vender vi da tilbake til universets nullpunktsenergi, og rekreeres.
How will you know the pitch of that great bell
Too large for you to stir? Let but a flute
Play 'neath the fine-mixed metal listen close
Till the right note flows forth, a silvery rill.
Then shall the huge bell tremble—then the mass
With myriad waves concurrent shall respond
In low soft unison.
— George Eliot (Middlemarch)
Ancient pond
a frog jumps in
a moment after—silence
— Basho
Quiz
- What is the main purpose of the text?
A) To discuss the concept of silence and its various forms and meanings in art and music
B) To provide a history of classical music
C) To argue for the superiority of a particular musical style or genre
D) To compare different musical instruments - What is the "zero-point energy" mentioned in the text?
A) A form of energy that is present everywhere and can be described as absolute silence
B) A term used in modern physics to describe the energy of a system at its lowest possible energy state
C) A type of energy that is released during the Big Bang
D) A term used in Indian philosophy to describe the eternal fresh creation of the universe - According to the text, how can silence be used in music?
A) As a contrast to sound to highlight particular moments or add tension and drama
B) As a means of expression in itself
C) As a way of creating unity or continuity
D) All of the above - Which of the following is an example of the use of silence in music mentioned in the text?
A) The opening of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
B) The finale of Mozart's Symphony No. 40
C) John Cage's "4'33""
D) All of the above - What is the "Platonic language of silence" mentioned in the text?
A) A language that lies behind all words and is eternal and timeless
B) A type of language used in Greek philosophy to describe abstract concepts
C) A form of communication through silence and nonverbal cues
D) A language used by poets to convey deeper meanings in their work - What does the term "yugen" refer to in the text?
A) A term used in Japanese culture to describe a mysterious aura
B) The idea that every form of art seeks to transcend itself
C) The act of painting with as few strokes as possible
D) The technique of using silence as a compositional element in music - What does the text mean when it says that "non-thought is the highest form of thought"?
A) That thinking about nothing is the most advanced form of thinking
B) That the act of not thinking can lead to more effective action
C) That the brain activity of skilled individuals is lower when they are performing well
D) All of the above - According to the text, what is the relationship between silence and the highest mathematical order?
A) Silence is the highest mathematical order
B) Silence allows other parts of the brain that have not been active to become active
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B - What does the text mean when it says that "every form seeks to transcend itself"?
A) That all forms of art are seeking to evolve and improve upon themselves
B) That all forms of art are seeking to transcend their own boundaries and limitations
C) That all forms of art are seeking to merge with other forms of art
D) That all forms of art are seeking to create a sense of unity and coherence - What is the purpose of the "glass bead game" mentioned in the text?
A) To create a sense of mystery and suspense
B) To illustrate the idea that every form of art seeks to transcend itself
C) To demonstrate the use of silence as a compositional element
D) All of the above
Correct answers
- A) To discuss the concept of silence and its various forms and meanings in art and music
- A) A form of energy that is present everywhere and can be described as absolute silence
- D) All of the above
- D) All of the above
- A) A language that lies behind all words and is eternal and timeless
- A) A term used in Japanese culture to describe a mysterious aura
- D) All of the above
- C) Both A and B
- B) That all forms of art are seeking to transcend their own boundaries and limitations
- D) All of the above
