Max Richter

and said, please tell me what the music is for this program. I posted it in the post box, waited six weeks, got a reply back, it's Kraftwerk Autobahn. Right, so then I know what it is, so then I get my pocket money out, get on the bus into town, get to the record shop. I mean, it sounds crazy now, right?

and said, please tell me what the music is for this program. I posted it in the post box, waited six weeks, got a reply back, it's Kraftwerk Autobahn. Right, so then I know what it is, so then I get my pocket money out, get on the bus into town, get to the record shop. I mean, it sounds crazy now, right?

Anyway, so, you know, days and weeks later, I get this record, put it on the record player and, you know, hearing the bass line at the beginning of Autobahn, it's like my life has changed, you know, absolutely transformed. And yeah, you know, from then on, I just knew I wanted to get my hands on a synthesizer.

Anyway, so, you know, days and weeks later, I get this record, put it on the record player and, you know, hearing the bass line at the beginning of Autobahn, it's like my life has changed, you know, absolutely transformed. And yeah, you know, from then on, I just knew I wanted to get my hands on a synthesizer.

Oh, yeah. No, I was, you know, practicing the piano and I was into music.

Oh, yeah. No, I was, you know, practicing the piano and I was into music.

Yeah, so... Okay, so maybe I need to sort of do this kind of chronologically. So basically, I trained at a time, you know, at university and then at the Academy in London, and then I went to Florence and studied with Berio there. So a very sort of straightforward process. academic composer training. And at that time there was an orthodoxy about the kind of music you should write. And this was,

Yeah, so... Okay, so maybe I need to sort of do this kind of chronologically. So basically, I trained at a time, you know, at university and then at the Academy in London, and then I went to Florence and studied with Berio there. So a very sort of straightforward process. academic composer training. And at that time there was an orthodoxy about the kind of music you should write. And this was,

kind of complexity, basically. It was sort of post-Boulez, you know, total serialism, plus, plus, plus. And if you were interested in tonal music, it just meant you were stupid. Literally, that was the attitude. You can write that, but you are stupid.

kind of complexity, basically. It was sort of post-Boulez, you know, total serialism, plus, plus, plus. And if you were interested in tonal music, it just meant you were stupid. Literally, that was the attitude. You can write that, but you are stupid.

Okay, so tonal music is what we're used to hearing in pop music or most of the music around us. It's music based around the tonal system, which is a structure of triads. It comes from, well, it was codified really by Bach. But tonality itself, the tonal system, is really like a cultural elaboration of the harmonic series.

Okay, so tonal music is what we're used to hearing in pop music or most of the music around us. It's music based around the tonal system, which is a structure of triads. It comes from, well, it was codified really by Bach. But tonality itself, the tonal system, is really like a cultural elaboration of the harmonic series.

The harmonic series is something from physics, and it's to do with numerical physical relationships. And the tonal system is like an expression of that. Right. So... Does that make any sense? That's what the tonal system is.

The harmonic series is something from physics, and it's to do with numerical physical relationships. And the tonal system is like an expression of that. Right. So... Does that make any sense? That's what the tonal system is.

Exactly, right. So it's like this amazing resource, kind of lexicon of musical possibility where we're saturated with it, you know? That doesn't mean it's exhausted. There's lots to come from tonality.

Exactly, right. So it's like this amazing resource, kind of lexicon of musical possibility where we're saturated with it, you know? That doesn't mean it's exhausted. There's lots to come from tonality.

Well, yeah. So what happened is that there was this sort of – there was like a historical view of – like musical, inverted commas, progress. And what happens is that as music history goes along, it moves from Bach into the Romantics, and the Romantics basically add dissonance. Now dissonance is like tones which are foreign to the chords that we're hearing, foreign to the key that we're hearing.

Well, yeah. So what happened is that there was this sort of – there was like a historical view of – like musical, inverted commas, progress. And what happens is that as music history goes along, it moves from Bach into the Romantics, and the Romantics basically add dissonance. Now dissonance is like tones which are foreign to the chords that we're hearing, foreign to the key that we're hearing.

So you get a piling up of dissonance. And then towards the very end of the 19th century, early 20th century, you get this kind of... It's like a big wave of dissonance that sort of breaks. And you get into a situation where you take away the tonal centre. And various people start to try and think of ways of writing music which are not to do with tonality. And it's kind of...

So you get a piling up of dissonance. And then towards the very end of the 19th century, early 20th century, you get this kind of... It's like a big wave of dissonance that sort of breaks. And you get into a situation where you take away the tonal centre. And various people start to try and think of ways of writing music which are not to do with tonality. And it's kind of...