[JoseDonis]

This past October I went to Spartanburg, SC for the music/philosophy conference “Resurrecting Romanticism.”  It was quite a treat to have experts such as Sandra Shaw, Dianne Durante, Thomas Shoebotham, Stephen Siek, and, of course, the host, David Berry, present.

I purchased Dr. Berry’s book “How Music Moves Us:  The Rule of 2 and Beyond.”  I finally got around to reading it entirely this Christmas break.  I also gave a review on Google and other websites as well.

For those who purchased the book or are looking to purchase the book, feel free to read my review below.

This is a great music aesthetics book based on Dr. Berry’s original views and the aesthetics of Ayn Rand and Objectivism. The entire book appears to come across as a collection of essays which span from Dr. Berry’s days in graduate school through today after more than 50 years of his experience in music performance, music theory, music education, philosophy, aesthetics, and music composition.

He lays out his aesthetics in Chapter 1. It is very easy to follow and you will see how applicable it is to both classical music and pop music of today (for those of you love Reggae music, such as myself, you will see how this Rule of 2 applies). Be sure to keep in mind what elements of music suggest physical action vs. psychological action. Then listen to the music of your choice or, better yet, the selections in the book, and you will see how those actions manifest itself in performance. And even though I’m not sure if this was Dr. Berry’s intent, he reiterates his aesthetic theory in a later chapter as well. As you can see, this goes in line with his Rule of 2–you’ll see what I mean when you learn about it.

Chapter 6 is based on Schillinger’s harmonic theory and really meant for the more sophisticated musician who is somewhat versed in music theory, especially in chords and chord progressions. I’ll try my best to explain it here: In very simple terms, the 3 (arrow down), 5 (arrow down), and 7 (arrow down) is the movement from chord to chord. The “3” could represent movement upward (3-arrow up), for example, C Major to E minor, or downward, e.g., C Major to A minor (3-arrow down). The “5” relates to C-G (5-arrow up) or C-F (5 arrow down). The “7” relates to movement of a 2nd (7-arrow down) or a 7th (7-arrow up). (I think–or at least I hope–I’m correct about this.)

(Note:  I should add that much of the movement in music is based on the V-I progression, or, in Schillinger’s terms, the 5 [arrow down] movement.  Feel free to contact me via email if you need further explanation of Schillinger’s harmonic theory.)

Finally, you will also be given a tutorial on how to write an effective melody. This was a real treat for me! For those of you who like to dabble in a little bit of music composition, you will see how Dr. Berry explains Ernst Toch’s ideas on how to write an effective and memorable melody. He also includes the Rule of 2 in this chapter as well.

I intend to use his ideas in my line of work as well as share his ideas with other colleagues of mine. I truly think students and music teachers could benefit from Dr. Berry’s original views on aesthetics and the Rule of 2.

*sb

[JimAllard]

Re: Jose Donis’ post 104016 of 12/31/23

Unfortunately, Dr. Berry’s book seems to be out of print already.

*sb

[TrentFowler]

Re: Jose Donis’ post 104016 of 12/31/23

Do you happen to know if recordings were made of that conference? As a lifelong guitarist, I’d be very interested in watching! 

*sb

[JoseDonis]

Re: Jim Allard’s post 147901 of 1/1/24

Perhaps, Dr. Berry or Dr. Binswanger could tell you how to order the book. I was fortunate enough to purchase it at the conference. If I remember correctly, then I think you are somehow involved closely with music. I think you would like this book. 

*sb

[JoseDonis]

Re: Trent Fowler’s post 147904 of 1/1/24

I don’t know if recordings were made for public viewing. 

*sb

[DavidBerry]

Re: Jose Donis’ post 104016 of 12/31/23

I greatly appreciate José Donis’ thoughtful and excellent review of my recent book How Music Moves Us: the Rule of 2 and Beyond. I was distressed to learn that Amazon.com stopped making it available even after having sold it. That is currently being corrected. Other vendors who have it available are: store.bookbaby.com, Target.com, Books-A-Million, and Penguinbookshop.com. To those on HBL, I will personally ship a copy for $15.99 (Venmo or Zelle) if you email me at sdavidberry@gmail.com.

Additionally, in answer to requests about videos of the Resurrecting Romanticism Conference last October, the videos are still being prepared and specifics still need to be negotiated with the participants. Thank you for your interest.

*sb

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