Leonardo da Vinci wrote only a few thoughts about music in his journals. He mused that music was “figurazione delle cose invisibili” or “the shaping of the invisible”. Da Vinci was writing around the turn of the 15th Century, before musical notation was standardized. His observations were very astute! Consider:

– Composers use modern musical notation to inscribe symbols in a score to tell each musician how to create specific sound waves, volumes and timbres. The composer is truly shaping the invisible!

– Performers read the score, reproducing the sound waves as they were imagined by the composer, or they improvise, creating sounds from their own imaginations! Performers are shaping the invisible!

– The listener, with eyes closed, experiences music in a unique, personal way. Invisible sound waves traveling through the air combine with the listener’s thoughts and emotions, creating a deeply personal experience. The listener is truly shaping the invisible!