Silence
Silence is the absence of ambient
Sometimes speakers fall silent when they hesitate in searching for a word, or interrupt themselves before correcting themselves. Discourse analysis shows that people use brief silences to mark the boundaries of prosodic units, in turn-taking, or as reactive tokens, for example, as a sign of displeasure, disagreement, embarrassment, desire to think, confusion, and the like. Relatively prolonged intervals of silence can be used in rituals; in some religious disciplines, people maintain silence for protracted periods, or even for the rest of their lives, as an ascetic means of spiritual transformation.
Perception
In the philosophy of perception and the science of perception, there has been a longstanding controversy as to how humans experience silence: "the perceptual view (we literally hear silence), and the cognitive view (we only judge or infer silence)", with prominent theories holding the latter view.[2] However, a study published in 2023 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported findings based on empirical experiments testing whether temporal distortions known to be experienced with respect to sounds, were also analogously experienced with respect to periods of silence.[2] The experimental results in all cases suggested that, at least in this context, humans respond to moments of silence the same way as to sounds—supporting the perceptual view that humans literally hear silence.[2]
Rhetorical practice
Silence may become an effective rhetorical practice when people choose to be silent for a specific purpose.[3] It has not merely been recognized as a theory but also as a phenomenon with practical advantages. When silence becomes rhetorical, it is intentional since it reflects a meaning. Rhetorical silence targets an audience rather than the rhetorician.[4]
Uses
History
Spirituality
"Silence" in spirituality is often a metaphor for inner stillness. A silent mind, freed from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns, is both a goal and an important step in spiritual development. Such "inner silence" is not about the absence of sound; instead, it is understood to bring one in contact with the divine, the ultimate reality, or one's own true self, one's divine nature.
Commemoration
A common way to remember a tragic incident and to remember the victims or casualties of such an event is a commemorative moment of silence.[12]
Debate
Argumentative silence is the rhetorical practice of saying nothing when an opponent in a debate expects something to be said. Poorly executed, it can be offensive, like refusing to answer a direct question. A well-timed silence can throw an opponent off and give the debater the upper hand.
An
Law
The right to silence is a legal protection enjoyed by people undergoing police interrogation or trial in certain countries. The law is either explicit or recognized in many legal systems.[13]
Film
The documentary film In Pursuit of Silence (2016) portrays the spiritual and physical benefits of silence, as well as the price paid individually and collectively for a noisy world.[14] It is narrated by authors Helen Lees (Silence in Schools), Pico Iyer (The Art of Stillness), Susan Cain (Quiet), Maggie Ross (Silence: A User's Guide), and George Prochnik (In Pursuit of Silence).[14]
Music
Music inherently depends on silence, in some form or another, to distinguish other periods of sound and allow dynamics, melodies, and rhythms to have greater impact. For example, most music scores feature rests, which denote periods of silence. In addition, silence in music can be seen as a time for contemplation. The audience feels the effects of the previous notes and melodies, and can intentionally reflect on what they have heard. Silence does not hinder musical excellence but can enhance the sounds of instruments and vocals within a given musical composition.[15]
In his book Sound and Silence (1970), the composer John Paynter says, "the dramatic effect of silence has long been appreciated by composers." He gives as an example "the general pause in the middle of the chorus 'Have lightnings and thunders …' in Bach's St. Matthew Passion":[16]
After the pause, the music continues to the words: "Open up the fiery bottomless pit, O hell!" The silence is intended to communicate a momentary sensation of terror, of staring into unfathomable darkness. Another example of a dramatic silence comes in the "rest full of tension"
Musical silences may also convey humour.
Taruskin (2010, p. 552) says, "whenever this ending is performed, it takes the audience an extra second or so to recover its wits and realize that the piece is indeed over. The result is an inevitable giggle—the same giggle that overtakes a
Barry Cooper (2011, p. 38)
Robert Schumann's song "Ich hab' im Traum geweinet" from his song cycle Dichterliebe uses silence to convey an almost gothic ambiance, suggesting the darkness of the grave where the dreaming poet imagines his lover has been placed: "I wept in my dreams, I dreamt you were lying in your grave."
In his book advising pianists and singers about interpretation, the pianist Gerald Moore stresses the need to fully observe the precisely notated rests, especially in the fourth bar above "where nothing is happening, that is to say nothing except a silence, a pregnant silence which, if shortened, dissipates the suffering it is intended to convey."[21][22]
Much has been said about the
Some of the most effective musical silences are very short, lasting barely a fraction of a second. In the spirited and energetic finale of his
During the 20th century, composers explored further the expressive potential of silence in their music.
Early recordings[32] of the Rag Time Dance follow Joplin's instructions as follows: "To get the desired effect of 'Stop Time', the pianist will please stamp the heel of one foot heavily upon the floor."[33] Later recordings[34] disregard this direction – the regular beat is implied rather than stated and the silences are more palpable. Keith Swanwick (1979, p. 70) is enchanted by the "playfulness and humour" engendered by the stop-time effects in Jelly Roll Morton's solo piano recording of The Crave (1939):[35] "If we listen to this, tapping or clicking along with the beat, we shalt find ourselves surprised by two patches of silence near the end. The beat goes on but the sound stops. The effect is something like being thrown forward when a car stops suddenly. It is the biggest surprise in an engaging piece of music full of little deviations (syncopations) from the repeated beat."[36]
Other examples include the closing bars of Louis Armstrong's recording of Struttin' with Some Barbecue (1928)[37] and the hair's-breadth pause at the end of pianist Bill Evans' solo on Miles Davis' recording of On Green Dolphin Street (1959).[38] Duke Ellington's "Madness in Great Ones", from his Shakespearean Suite Such Sweet Thunder (1957)[39] conveys the feigned madness of Prince Hamlet through abrupt and unpredictable pauses that interrupt the flow of the music. The reggae band Black Slate had a hit in 1980 with the song Amigo. The instrumental introduction features sudden silences before the voice enters.
See also
- Anechoic chamber
- Awkward silence
- Background noise
- Blue Code of Silence
- Dead air
- Hesychia
- List of silent musical compositions
- Murke's Collected Silences
- Muteness
- Noble Silence
- Omertà
- Radio silence
- Retreat
- Silencer (disambiguation)
- Silent film
- Silent letter
- Speech is silver, silence is golden
- Spiral of silence
- Shunning
References
- ^ "Silence | Define Silence at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
- ^ PMID 37428927.
- S2CID 170135805.
- ISBN 978-1-136-99369-5.
- S2CID 4839396.
- ^ Charles Darwin (2004). The Descent of Man. London: Penguin Books. pg. 123.
- S2CID 162571333.
- ^ See Stephen Palmquist, Ontology and the Wonder of Silence, Part Four of The Tree of Philosophy (Hong Kong: Philopsychy Press, 2000). See also "Silence as the Ultimate Fulfillment of the Philosophical Quest", Journal Hekmat Va Falsafeh, (Journal of Wisdom and Philosophy), Issue 6 (August 2006), pp.67–76.
- ^ Britain Yearly Meeting, "Quaker Faith and Practice"
- ISBN 0-85245-374-4
- ISBN 978-0-85398-505-1.
- ^ "Definition of 'moment of silence'". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
- ^ "Right to silence". Collins Dictionary of Law. The Free Dictionary. 2006.
- ^ a b McColman, Carl (March 8, 2016). "In Pursuit of Silence: A Quiet Movie With Much to Say". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
- ^ Cox, Christoph; Warner, Daniel (2004). Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music.:
- ^ a b Paynter, J. & Aston, P. (1970). Sound and Silence. Cambridge University Press. p. 61.
- ^ "Messiah Part II". May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Wikipedia.
- ^ Taruskin, Richard (2010). Spotlight On. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - JSTOR 23039954.
- ^ Grove, G. (1898, p.355) Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies. London, Novello. Reprinted by Dover (1962)
- ^ Moore, G. (1981, .15) Poet's Love, the Songs and Cycles of Schumann. London, Hamish Hamilton.
- ^ "Dichterliebe Op. 48: Ich hab im Traum geweinet - YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ Taruskin, Richard (2010) The Oxford History of Western Music, Volume 3. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Above the Mists (9 December 2012). "[HD] Richard Wagner - Tristan Und Isolde - Prelude - Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuth Festival". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Lossef, N. and Doctor, J. (eds.) (2007) Silence, Music, Silent Music. London, Ashgate
- ^ dorotea1997 (26 November 2015). "Anton Webern: Simfonija op. 21., 2. stavak: Variationen". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Bartje Bartmans (1 August 2015). "Igor Stravinsky - Les Noces (1923)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ White, E. W. (1947) Stravinsky: a Critical Survey. London, John Lehmann.
- ^ orangejamtw (16 October 2011). "Messiaen - Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Joel Hochberg (15 December 2010). "John Cage's 4'33". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Cage, J.(1952), 4'33", Published by Edition Peters (PE.P06777)
- ^ RagtimeDorianHenry (27 June 2009). "The Ragtime Dance - SCOTT JOPLIN (1906)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Joplin, S. (1971) Collected Piano Works: Rags, Waltzes and Marches. New York Public Library.
- ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com.
- ^ cdbpdx (5 December 2011). "THE CRAVE by Jelly Roll Morton - NEW ORLEANS MEMORIES 1939". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Swanwick, K. (1979) A Basis for Music Education. London, Routledge.
- ^ Praguedive (20 June 2009). "Louis Armstrong - Struttin' With Some Barbecue". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ MilesDavisVEVO (14 May 2013). "Miles Davis - On Green Dolphin Street (Audio)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ bill K (21 October 2011). "Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder - Madness in Great Ones". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.