MUSIC a brief history of the Western musical thought emanuel dimas de melo pimenta
Music - A Brief History of the Western Musical Thought is a book I wrote very fast. It is a brief history born in Sumeria, ancient Mesopotamia, arriving to our days.
Several months ago I dined at the home of a dear friend, the brilliant architect and no less magnificent Portuguese artist João de Almeida. Alice and Hellmut Wohl were also present at the diner - both quickly became dear friends. And also Maria João Seixas, Pedro Canavarro, Margarida Veiga and Virgilio Seco - the wonderful jewelry designer.
Suddenly, without I could expect, João asked me to explain what I did as composer. That question, seemingly simple, was terrible! It implied some prior knowledge of music history. More than that, it was about the history of musical thought, what generated what we call "music".
I took a deep breath. In about ten minutes I made a brief trip on the metamorphosis of the musical thought in the last two or three thousand years, concentrating on points that seemed me most evident.
When I stopped talking, João approached quietly and said, "You should write a book about that". I smiled and replied him that it was something outside my goals. It would be too heavy and I already had many other projects to conclude. Too many.
Almost one year later, on a cold February morning, I woke up and went to the window. Everything was covered in snow. The beautiful Lake Maggiore. Suddenly I thought I should write a book about musical thinking, not about music itself. But, I'd completely forgot that challenge by João. The first image that came to my mind were the long and delightful conversations with my dear friend Ornette Colleman, in New York City, over nearly twenty years. Often we talked about that.
The book was written in ten days. Now, he's published. And I see with regret that in my introduction, I forgot my dear friend João de Almeida - who I deeply admire and esteem!
The book has no chapters - like sound, it doesn't know precise boundaries.
The preface is written by the American philosopher, writer and journalist Jon Rappoport; and the introduction is made by the Italian philosopher Dario Evola, from the Fine Arts Academy in Rome. Jon Rappoport is a dear friend. He wrote the introduction to my book Low Power Society years ago. Dario Evola is a friend of almost thirty years, when we both were young, and shared together the magic of the Video and Electronic Art Festival - the world's first - in Locarno, Switzerland, with Rinaldo Bianda and René Berger.
This book is dedicated to Ornette Coleman, who I admire and love so much. It is a first celebration of the centenary of René Berger and of my dear master Hans Joachim Koellreutter. And it is also made in memory of John Cage, Daniel Charles, Koellreutter and Jorge Peixinho - four different dimensions of the world.
But it also is dedicated to everybody who loves music.
Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta Locarno 2014