Like my classmates, I can't imagine a world without music/sound. The question is, what happens to those people who are born deaf, or even go deaf? In Beethoven's case, the loss of his hearing didn't prevent him from creating some of the greatest classical music ever written (still the supreme example of tragedy, however). My question is, does anyone know of a person who was born deaf and who could nevertheless define what music is? Could they produce it? In other words, are we born with an inherent sense of what music is? I know that an answer must be out there, I just don't know what it is- obviously it was created at some point, so that seems to indicate that musical is natural to us, at least in some way.
I'm also interested in one facet of Klezmer music that we looked at last class, the role that an immigrant's experience played in the development of Klezmer- it certainly testifies as a great example of the power of tradition (which I think Kate already commented on) while also showing how a group's infusion/exclusion in a new culture shapes that group's ideologies and creativity.
I would be interested to know if Helen Keller ever spoke about the concept of music... although come to think of it I don't think she was born deaf. Have you seen Mr. Holland's Opus? Although the question of music and deaf link is not addressed, the son of the composer/music teacher is deaf and it causes some interesting issues to arise.
I will try to look up the Helen Keller thing later.
Posted by: Brooke at March 10, 2005 02:57 PM