source file: mills2.txt Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 12:46:21 -0800 Subject: Re: Music therapy, metaphysics From: "Jo A. Hainline" On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, John Chalmers wrote: > > Anyway, I don't want to belabor my skepticism regarding the value of > music therapy, particularly for organic illness. I recall the late > Ivor Darreg once getting a phone call from an acquaintance who announced > that he had just discovered the ultimate laxative theme. Prudence or > good taste, alas, prevented Darreg from recording it, so it's been lost > to posterity. > > Basically, I think music should be a treat rather than a treatment. I'm > willing to listen to good music on its own merits regardless of its > underlying metaphysics. > John, I feel the effects of music, though sometimes extremely apparent, more often are on the level of tobacco smoke or asbestos--occasional exposure having seemingly little effect, some not being effected at all, while long term exposure seems to eventually have drastic consequences. I hope that interested individuals won't be kept from reading David Tame's book based on several of the posted reviews. I believe his main thesis is that music has a great influence on the civilization and culture which creates it. He analyzes Chinese, Western, and Indian music traditions, and to some extent pre Greek and Greek music. There is much material which is thought provoking, though his conclusions are rather sweeping and general. I believe it is unfair to interpret his thoughts as racially biased, although he is hard on most "modern" Western music, including jazz and R&R. Should one dismiss Indian ragas because they believe Indian culture at one time condones(d) the caste system and abuse of women? Bruce Kanzelmeyer Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Thu, 3 Apr 1997 08:41 METZ Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01845; Thu, 3 Apr 1997 08:42:16 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA01843 Received: from by ella.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) id WAA21452; Wed, 2 Apr 1997 22:40:49 -0800 Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 22:40:49 -0800 Message-Id: <334363F5.651A@dnvr.uswest.net> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@ella.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@ella.mills.edu