Leonard Bernstein on "Musical Linguistic Universals"

Music can be appreciated at the level of our senses, of our memory or of our intellect. This 18-minute excerpt from Leonard Bernstein's "Unanswered Question" lectures at Harvard (   • The Unanswered Question 1973 1  Musical Ph...   ) gives the foundation for an intellectual appreciation of music. 00:07 Bernstein introduces his argument for "musical linguistic universals", 02:11 Universals are more accessible to musicians than to linguists, thanks to the harmonic series resulting from regular vibrations, 04:15 Bernstein gives us the example of the overtones of a "low C" 06:25 He helps us hear each overtone, in order, 08:09 The second overtone (G to his C example) gives us the foundation for the whole tonal system, with a "tonic" and a "dominant", 10:11 The overtones give the "major triad", the cornerstone of Western Music, 11:13 However, Westen music is not universal music, as demonstrated by the limits of the piano and its equal temperament, well explained by the maestro, 14:38 The musical linguistic universal, handed to us by nature: the five notes of the pentatonic scale. 16:55 Examples of pentatonic music from around the world. Please visit https://upcloseandclassical.org and SUBSCRIBE to receive updates on future concerts. Thank you!