The Many Layers of Musical Memory—and Forgetting (S3:E2)

Improvisations on The Ledge

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The Many Layers of Musical Memory—and Forgetting (S3:E2)

PETER SALTZMAN

Oct 22, 2021

"The Many Layers of Musical Memory—and Forgetting" is an episode about how listening to music, and performing it, are really acts of thematic memory—and forgetting.

And sometimes the forgetting is part of the creative process. Or maybe it's just forgetting. In any case, I take a deep dive into the many layers of musical memory that go into improvising or composing. But also into the listener's experience of any given piece of music. There is the short-term memory of what happened earlier in a piece of music, but also the long-term, cultural memory that informs every performing/listening experience.

And whether short or long term, there is plenty of forgetting involved...

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Improvisations on The Ledge

In "Improvisations on the Ledge," award-winning composer-pianist Peter Saltzman searches for universal truths by stumbling upon them—both with words and music. The basic premise is simple: he improvises on the piano, then talks about what the music tells him. Then makes music about what the talking tells him. Then...well, it goes on like this. Droll, funny, dramatic, musical, short.

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