373 - Matthew Wilkinson - Mystical Bach and the Breakdown of Music

For this interview I have a great discussion with organist, pianist, conductor, arranger, and recording artist Matthew Wilkinson, who also happened to put together the Symbolic World intro music. We delve into the symbolism of music, particularly focusing on Bach's organ works. The discussion also touches on the evolution of musical styles from the Baroque period to the Classical, modern and postmodern eras, the historical context of music, from the music of the spheres to modern dissonance, and how these concepts reflect broader ideas about hierarchy and opposites.<br /><br />Support Matthew Wilkinson's wonderful work: <br />Check out his website and buy his CD: https://matthewwilkinson.net/<br />Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/24DSGAdbVt7by0JHEqTwMh?si=ZJlpdMkcSg6SfMvz7YbkFg<br />YouTube: https://youtube.com/@matthewwilkinson2276?si=m1gbZgTSpOALVdq5<br /><br />Join us for Annie Crawford's course on C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, starting live on January 17th, 2025. Learn more here: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/till-we-have-faces-with-annie-crawford<br /><br />Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/d-9FRODiDKM  <br /><br />Timestamps:<br />00:00 - Coming up<br />00:56 - Intro music<br />01:21 - Introduction<br />02:18 - The album on Bach<br />05:38 - Trinitarian symbolism<br />14:49 - Meaning in structure vs outside it<br />20:15 - The hero's journey<br />22:05 - Signatures<br />25:06 - Subject and countersubject<br />26:19 - The organ<br />29:25 - Going through the entrances<br />32:39 - Various subjects<br />35:03 - Baroque<br />36:37 - Counterpoint<br />37:21 - Duality in music<br />40:14 - Music of the spheres<br />43:54 - Hierarchy in beats<br />47:15 - Glenn Gould<br />49:19 - The dialectic<br />51:04 - Hierarchy in music<br />55:16 - Music in the modern era<br />01:07:45 - Postmodernism<br /><br />💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com<br />🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau <br />🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe <br />🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe <br /><br />📱 SOCIAL MEDIA  <br />Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld <br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan <br />Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageau<br /><br />Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ <br />My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.<br />