Eric Kisch wrote:

>Norman Reppingen invites comments on:
>
>>How does smell, the smelling of the rosesoil, cedar, or limette
>>influence the creation, or also important, the reception of music?
>
>An interesting question.

Indeed, but i am whining about us three (Christine de Labroche, you and
me beeing the only three persons who share this opinion.)

>However, I'd like to turn it on its head: what about music that tries to
>capture the sense of smell.  I immediately thought of Mahler's setting of
>"Ich atmet einen Lindenduft" (I inhaled the scent of lilac).  Can anyone
>think of others.

Well, yes.  Maybe the same occured to me before i thought about smell
engaging music.

It is the smell of sea, a little harbour in a small village, having some
party in the summer, thats in the Intermezzo of Rachmaninoffs 3th, just
after the change to 3/8 measure, with repetited notes, (page 42 in
Boosey&Hawkes).  A very nice, mediterranean smell.

The beginning of Op. 30 reminds me of the calm, open sea.

The opening of the Waldstein sonata occurs to me like a morning, the smell
of dew, and a yet cold forest, wating for a hot summer day, resting in
morning nebula, regarding the rising sun.

>The relationship between music and scent - a fascinating topic.  And
>not too far off-topic, I hope is a recommendation for Patrick Susskind's
>Perfume: the story of a murderer.  This is all about the world of scent.
>A totally transforming book.

I read it, and you are very at the point with the book, maybe one must have
been reading the book to understand this topic; "understand" is wrong, but
to engage ones soul to create flavoured pictures.  I hope it is well
translated, the kind of language in the original is marvellous, and ideal
to engage another bridge.

Not smell to sound, not vice versa, but written words to feelings.

Grenouille, the "heroe" of the book, has in my opinion very much in common
with a good musician.

So, anyone out there beeing able to build inter - sensual bridges?

Norman Reppingen <[log in to unmask]>