On this site I will try to discover what makes music special. Why do we start moving, clapping our hands or tapping our foot on the ground when we listen to music? I have never done that when attending a lecture, even if it was interesting! I approach this question from different angles: For instance, by exploring what ‘animates’ artists from diverse backgrounds and by delving into the background of genres like jazz, rock, blues. I will also pay attention to themes from music theory such as timbre, tempo, rhythm. And, of course, I want to understand the value that melody and lyrics add, even if the last are unintelligible. The beneficial effects of music on human (and animal!) health will not go unmentioned.
Read these instructions first
1. An overview of all posts can be found on the table of contents; at the top are the posts on the theme ‘Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy.
2. The posts often do not fit together. Feel free to skip. If the order plays a role, it will be apparent from the numbering.
3. YouTube videos take a central position. Therefore, there is no fixed amount of time for a post. After all, you can stop each film whenever you want and just go on to the next one. I usually write short texts around the videos to help understanding what you hear and see or backgrounds that are not visible.
4. I use to have six to eight YouTubes videos ‘embedded’ in each post. These form the main thread. To watch these, you don't have to leave the site. There is no advertising here. You open a clip by clicking on the red triangle, then fill the screen immediately, press the reduce button at the end or when you've seen enough and then stop it. You can continue reading immediately.
5. I complement these videos with references to other YouTube videos. These give additional examples or show lesser-known artists. For these videos, you leave the site and may be confronted with advertising. Open these films in a new page so you can easily return to the site.
6. Sound is as important as images. It is therefore desirable that your computer has good speakers or is connected to a speaker. Using headphones or earphones is also fine.
7. Finally, you can comment or ask questions at the bottom of each post.
Dutch and Flemish speaking persons are served with the website hermanvandenbosch.online with the motto ‘Expeditie muziek’. The request to translate the posts into English did not take long to materialise. I then decided to redesign the existing English-language website hermanvandenbosch.com with the motto ‘Music: Listen, Look, and Enjoy’. This site also hosts my best English-language posts, divided into five sections (Living environment, climate, education, governance and digitalisation). Furthermore, you will find an overview of my scientific publications and my e-books.
Herman van den Bosch
Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy 