On Feb 15, 2006, at 5:04 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:
The reason I use the term "voodoo" is because the stereotypical example of voodoo is sticking pins in a doll that represents a person in order to hurt the person the doll represents. That practice represents a belief that doing one thing will cause something to happen that is different and operates on a different object.
Leaving aside the question of whether that is a valid characterization of Voodoo as a religion, I feel compelled to point out that sticking pins in a doll to hurt someone represented by the doll *works* quite reliably (as do other forms of curse), if the person under attack believes that such curses are effective. In the case of exaggerated dynamics, the analogy is perfect: if the performer understands what the composer means, then the desired result will be obtained. The purpose of language is communication, and if communication is achieved, no further justification is required.
Andrew Stiller Kallisti Music Press http://home.netcom.com/~kallisti/ _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
