Silence (Harold Fiske )

Subject: Silence
From:    Harold Fiske  <hfiske(at)UWO.CA>
Date:    Wed, 5 Mar 2003 14:19:53 -0500

Dear List,
I received an inquiry from someone asking about the perception of
silence.
Specifically:

 "How is silence perceived in a musical context? Is
 the listener's 'attitude' changed when a rest unfolds in
 music? or, are sounds and silences so linked in music to
 enable us to distinguish the two?"

I am not able to further clarify her questions, so I offer them as
received. Any thoughts?

Harold Fiske, PhD
Faculty of Music
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario CANADA