Uncommon Measure

A Journey Through Music, Performance, and the Science of Time

autorstwa

Język English

Opublikowane 13 stycznia 2022 przez Bellevue Literary Press.

ISBN:
978-1-942658-98-6
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(1 opinia)

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST NPR “BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR” SELECTION NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

A virtuosic debut from a gifted violinist searching for a new mode of artistic becoming

How does time shape consciousness and consciousness, time? Do we live in time, or does time live in us? And how does music, with its patterns of rhythm and harmony, inform our experience of time?

Uncommon Measure explores these questions from the perspective of a young Korean American who dedicated herself to perfecting her art until performance anxiety forced her to give up the dream of becoming a concert solo violinist. Anchoring her story in illuminating research in neuroscience and quantum physics, Hodges traces her own passage through difficult family dynamics, prejudice, and enormous personal expectations to come to terms with the meaning of a life reimagined—one still shaped by classical music but moving toward the freedom of improvisation.

3 edycje

recenzuje Uncommon Measure autorstwa Natalie Hodges

Uncommonly Moving

The rare case of a memoir that really works, interesting on its own without having to throw around famous people and world changing events. The author used the memoir to guide the reader through many topics: the immigrant experience; motherhood and male abortion; generational trauma; stereotypes surrounding East Asian children; musicology and competitiveness; and, of course, how all these intersect with the realm of classical music in particular.

Another merit, the book is frugal with the neuroscience and quantum physics references, citing just enough to breach the appropriate level of interdisciplinary thinking without deviating into pseudoscientific discourse. The synopsis raised a red flag putting those keywords so upfront, but I'm happy I gave it a chance. Personally, the most interesting bits were mostly subjective accounts on how music changes and is changed by the perception of time.

Tematy

  • Music
  • Science