Recently, i read a book about essentials, or volantiles.  I was surprised
how much of them are available.  A question not beeing answered in the bokk
is: How does smell, the smelling of the rosesoil, cedar, or limette
influence the creation, or also important, the reception of music?

If you are interested in this "paramusical" topic, you are happily invited
to hold on reading.

I will give a short introduction, to mention the basics.

Essentials are oils, mostly with a low boiling point, and with the quality
of a sometimes very specific smell, sometimes they are compareable to
another essential.

Very famous are jasmine, spearmint, cedar, peppermint, rose, sandlewood....

A thing which ocurred to be interestening is:

There are direct similarities to music.

At first, in german language (yet i do not know how it is in other
languages) A specific smell is called "Duftnote", which could be
translated with something like "aroma - note".

Essentials are divided in three categories.

1. "Basisnote" basic note i.e. cedar, vanilla, patchouli, sandlewood
2. "Herznote" heart note i.e. tea tree, rose, pepper (red and black), yasmine
3. "Kopfnote" head note. i.e lemongrass, orange, bergamotte, spearmint

The basic notes are more viscous, the head notes very thin.

So we have "deep" (basic) notes, and "higher" ones, so spearmint would be
something like "soprano" or higher.

In history and daily practice, music and essentials are combined.  i want
to remind you of scryabins idea of a really multi - media artwork made up
with light, colours, music, ..., and ..  smell.

In churches, incense is combined with organ music, some (most?) native
americans are doing their rites, or more likely, have been doing their
rites with essentials or herbs, and music.

So why should the carnegie hall be not prepared with bergamotte as the
head note (very fresh oil from italy, something compareable to lemon),
and the deep oriental smell of patchouly as basic note, maybe combined
with a bit of rose (very expensive), and THEN the "trio elegiaque" by
Serge Rachmaninoff?

In my opinion, patchouly and Bergamotte go very well together.

The other possibility would be, to prepare the practice room with
essentials.  Especially with bergamotte i made good experiences.  My
concentration was more intense, of a higher quality.  And patchouly
added the "contemplative background".

Last but not least, new compositions could be written.  For example,
Karlheinz Stockhausen: "mantra", imitating a gamelan orchestra, could
greatly intensify the oriental impressions, if the audience is flavoured
with some typical fragrances.

A similar topic of the last days:

So, how would the smell change in Rachmaninoffs Op. 30?

I think Rachmaninoff is a very well - flavoured composer.

So, there are some of my ideas.  Any comments and knowledge would be
happily appreciated.

Best wishes,
Norman Reppingen, Germany