373 - Matthew Wilkinson - Mystical Bach and the Breakdown of Music

For this interview I have a great discussion with organist, pianist, conductor, arranger, and recording artist Matthew Wilkinson, who also happened to put together the Symbolic World intro music. We delve into the symbolism of music, particularly focusing on Bach's organ works. The discussion also touches on the evolution of musical styles from the Baroque period to the Classical, modern and postmodern eras, the historical context of music, from the music of the spheres to modern dissonance, and how these concepts reflect broader ideas about hierarchy and opposites.Support Matthew Wilkinson's wonderful work: Check out his website and buy his CD: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/24DSGAdbVt7by0JHEqTwMh?si=ZJlpdMkcSg6SfMvz7YbkFgYouTube: https://youtube.com/@matthewwilkinson2276?si=m1gbZgTSpOALVdq5Join us for Annie Crawford's course on C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, starting live on January 17th, 2025. Learn more here: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/till-we-have-faces-with-annie-crawfordOriginal YouTube version: https://youtu.be/d-9FRODiDKM  Timestamps:00:00 - Coming up00:56 - Intro music01:21 - Introduction02:18 - The album on Bach05:38 - Trinitarian symbolism14:49 - Meaning in structure vs outside it20:15 - The hero's journey22:05 - Signatures25:06 - Subject and countersubject26:19 - The organ29:25 - Going through the entrances32:39 - Various subjects35:03 - Baroque36:37 - Counterpoint37:21 - Duality in music40:14 - Music of the spheres43:54 - Hierarchy in beats47:15 - Glenn Gould49:19 - The dialectic51:04 - Hierarchy in music55:16 - Music in the modern era01:07:45 - Postmodernism💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 📱 SOCIAL MEDIA  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageauOur website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.