Barrett, Richard (b. 1959)

[Serial_Apologist]

I’ve just finished reading The Demon in the Machine by Paul Davies, a professor of Physics. The subtitle of the book says How hidden webs of information are solving the mystery of life My knowledge, if it can be called that, of physics, biology, and information technology is less than minimum and I cannot possibly say I understood what it was in the book. Yet I found the book fascinating to read in a similar way as watching unfamiliar scenery passing outside the window when you sit in the train. Also, since I read this book, I find articles and news about human cells, genetics or evolution, and other related subjects make more sense (of a kind) and get a sense that there are wider implications to the subjects. Based on this experience, I am thinking about tackling Richard B’s book.

I don’t suppose this is a sort of ‘reading’ authors wish but there you are. We read books for all sorts of reasons.

I rather think that Richard is more than happy with readers such as yourself and myself, who may be somewhat lacking in the technical aspects in areas of advanced study, but are open and willing to understand more. The number of books I have in my collection which from that point of view I am happy and relieved for having kept in the light of subsequent gained knowledge are long-term proof to me of the point. I also dip into a weather site which includes posts of a highly technical character by people trained in the science(s), as well as others whose enthusiasm in the subject is amateur, but nevertheless viewed as of value by the former. A case, for once, of a little knowledge being worthwhile to society as it helps stimulate and generalise interest, so long as one is not in charge!

[teamsaint]

It's not just music and physics to which this applies, either. I well remember struggling with the econometric equations in Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's The Entory Law and the Economic Process before eventually giving up and concentrating on the verbal text. Great seminal text for Green economics, by the way.

Brief History of time also works fine if you skip round the equations........

[Pulcinella]

Brief History of time also works fine if you skip round the equations........

Makes it even briefer, in fact.

[edashtav]

It's not just music and physics to which this applies, either. I well remember struggling with the econometric equations in Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's The Entory Law and the Economic Process before eventually giving up and concentrating on the verbal text. Great seminal text for Green economics, by the way.

typo: Entropy?

[Richard Barrett]

I rather think that Richard is more than happy with readers such as yourself and myself

Indeed so. As with the music itself, one would hope there are many different directions from which to approach it; and in fact the book itself takes several different directions. While some of the material on composition techniques might be seen as "difficult", most of the material in the "dialogues" section is much more conversational. I've tried my best not to assume too much prior knowledge on the part of readers (each one of whom is different anyway, of course), and in any case prior knowledge might not be so helpful since one of the concerns under discussion is how to think about such things from first principles. Being a member of this forum has been quite influential in finding the right tone of voice for the writing (as is mentioned in the acknowledgements!). In the end, though, it is what it is - I think it embodies a certain urgency to communicate and clarify, but to do so without simplifying the "message" out of existence. As the physicist Niels Bohr is supposed to have said, "never speak more clearly than you think"...

[Bryn]

typo: Entropy?

Oops! Missed that one. I would add that it was Malcolm Caldwell's 1977 The Wealth of Some Nationswhich alerted me to Georgescu-Roegen's work. (Caldwell died in mysterious circumstances while staying in a guest house in what was then Kampuchea. Whether he was a victim of The Organisation, know in the west as the Khmer Rouge, with who he was sympathetic when he journeyed to meet with them, or whether he died at the hands of a Vietnamese agent, as his hosts suggested, is still not known.) A popularised summary of Georgescu-Roegen's thesis can be found in Jeremy Rifkin's somewhat sensationalised "Entropy A New World View" of 1980.

[Serial_Apologist]

Oops! Missed that one.

It had a timely Freudian slip of the keys aspect to it!

[Joseph K]

The book has just arrived.

[Bryn]

The book has just arrived.

In which case I will probably have to collect mine from the sorting office tomorrow. Fortunately, I have a number of heavy items to take to the recycling depot, which is close to the sorting office, so a special trip will not be needed.

[Dave2002]

I think one needs to look at these sites to appraise the book, and to order it:

http://richardbarrettmusic.com/news.html

https://composersedition.com/richard-barrett-music-of-possibility

https://www.visionedition.com/publication/music-of-possibility/

£24.99 currently - does that include P&P? From one supplier it's £4.25 for 1st class Royal Mail parcel delivery.

[Serial_Apologist]

I think one needs to look at these sites to appraise the book, and to order it:

http://richardbarrettmusic.com/news.html

https://composersedition.com/richard-barrett-music-of-possibility

https://www.visionedition.com/publication/music-of-possibility/

£24.99 currently - does that include P&P? From one supplier it's £4.25 for 1st class Royal Mail parcel delivery.

Very positive reviews they are too - thanks for reproducing them here, Dave.

(That John Palmer book of interviews also looks rather good, too!)

[Richard Barrett]

Gosh, you lucky people - I haven't received mine yet!

[Bryn]

Oh goodie. Mine was on the doormat when I got home from the Zubin Kanga concert at City University. Slight dog-earing of the top right of the front cover and first few pages due, presumably, to careless packing into the corrugated card distribution casing. My rare unsigned copy* has thus lost much of its exchage value. Its use value happily remains untarnished.

* An obscure reference to Edward Heath's book "Music".

[Bryn]

Who else here, apart from the man himself, will be attending the Elison performances at City University Performance Space tonight?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh, I wish!

The past fortnight has seen me knocked for six by a stink of a cold - I was unable to get to Huddersfield on Monday for an ELISION event, and it's stopping me from getting to Aida tonight (something I regret considerably less - except that it means I probably won't ever get to see the Leonardo drawings in Leeds Art Gallery either, which was part of the day's itinerary).

Looks an amazing gig - you go with my envious blessing, Bryn.