Reviews
As the father of a child majoring in piano, I thought I had to read this and gave it my full attention.
This is a book collecting a conversation about music between cellist Professor Sung-Won Yang and mathematician Professor Minhyung Kim. The meeting of two fields that seem entirely unrelated—music and mathematics—felt fresh to me, and the two men's back-and-forth was so engaging and fun that I read it easily, despite worrying it might be difficult. As I read, I found myself asking questions: “What makes music good?” “Can an emotional response without background knowledge of music be considered
Beethoven, Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69, first movement, Allegro ma non tanto. I fell in love with the cello's tone and have favorite pieces and performers close to my heart. I especially like hearing Sung-Won Yang perform the piece above. A few years ago, I also began learning the cello. Even without deep knowledge of classical music, I found an instrument that moves me, and performances that touch my heart. I became captivated by Yang's playing, so when I learned that the book If
I received this book from the publisher through my participation in the 18th Kim Young-sa Supporters program. As far as I know, a major success among books built from conversations between experts in different fields was Cross, by neuroscientist Jae-seung Jung and art critic Joong-kwon Jin. Since then, there have been books that deliberately discuss one another's specialties, such as Newton's Atelier by quantum physicist Sang-wook Kim and typographer Jiwon Yu, as well as Why Do We Head to
Just as the title says, this book lets you reflect together on what would happen if music disappeared tomorrow.
I found the meeting between a musician and a mathematician fascinating. I was very glad to read, in an organized book, the conversations the two had shared over a long time. As someone who loves music, it was a precious opportunity to hear about music from leading experts in their respective fields.
Yang Seong-won et al.: If music disappears tomorrow
From the heart of the person performing music and the heart of the listener, to music that gives us the strength to live and music that changes our lives: cellist Sung-Won Yang, who loves mathematics, and mathematician Minhyung Kim, who loves classical music, share both common and differing thoughts about music. What does it mean to listen to music? Can we enjoy it if we do not understand a piece's structure or the composer's intention? Is there a standard for good music, and if so, what is it? What is music made of? Can mathematics fully explain music? Can music have a harmful influence? Can classical and popular music be strictly separated? Is there a way for more people to enjoy classical music? And how would a mathematician and a performer answer these questions? World-renowned mathematician Professor Minhyung Kim and world-renowned cellist Professor Sung-Won Yang, praised as “the pride of Korean cello,” happened to discuss their impressions of Bach's Cello Suites. Their conversation began with this piece, which Yang loves most and has performed most often. It ranged into reflections on music of the Romantic era and analyses of Yo-Yo Ma's and Jacqueline du Pré's performance styles, and broadened to artists' exceptional talent and making classical music accessible to the public. The candid chat, or spirited debate, between two accomplished experts about performing and listening, appreciation and emotion, recordings and live performances, and expertise and popularization brings back our personal memories tied to music and makes us want to find something to listen to right away.
Korean title: 내일 음악이 사라진다면
Korean author: 양성원 외
Korean publisher: 김영사
ISBN-13: 9788934957782
Reviews
As the father of a child majoring in piano, I thought I had to read this and gave it my full attention.
This is a book collecting a conversation about music between cellist Professor Sung-Won Yang and mathematician Professor Minhyung Kim. The meeting of two fields that seem entirely unrelated—music and mathematics—felt fresh to me, and the two men's back-and-forth was so engaging and fun that I read it easily, despite worrying it might be difficult. As I read, I found myself asking questions: “What makes music good?” “Can an emotional response without background knowledge of music be considered
Beethoven, Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69, first movement, Allegro ma non tanto. I fell in love with the cello's tone and have favorite pieces and performers close to my heart. I especially like hearing Sung-Won Yang perform the piece above. A few years ago, I also began learning the cello. Even without deep knowledge of classical music, I found an instrument that moves me, and performances that touch my heart. I became captivated by Yang's playing, so when I learned that the book If
I received this book from the publisher through my participation in the 18th Kim Young-sa Supporters program. As far as I know, a major success among books built from conversations between experts in different fields was Cross, by neuroscientist Jae-seung Jung and art critic Joong-kwon Jin. Since then, there have been books that deliberately discuss one another's specialties, such as Newton's Atelier by quantum physicist Sang-wook Kim and typographer Jiwon Yu, as well as Why Do We Head to
Just as the title says, this book lets you reflect together on what would happen if music disappeared tomorrow.
I found the meeting between a musician and a mathematician fascinating. I was very glad to read, in an organized book, the conversations the two had shared over a long time. As someone who loves music, it was a precious opportunity to hear about music from leading experts in their respective fields.
