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Keys to the Schillinger System : Course B - the Theory of Rhythm

Originality: This book is a significant insight and advancement of the subject and involves much original thought in the form of compositional examples and the synthesis of ideas into new configurations. Schillinger’s theory is reevaluated in the light of current trends in musical culture and psychology. Most importantly the theory has been ‘translated’ from its original quasi mathematical format into plain English, accompanied by numerous original musical examples. These serve to illuminate concepts that have remained largely obscure to contemporary musicians, more used to traditional notation and terminology. The book contains important original research particularly in the field of North Indian classical music, the rhythmic structure of which is shown to be in accordance with certain key aspects of Schillinger’s theory. Other original contributions involve demonstrating the application of Schillinger techniques to musical genres that did not exist while he was alive, for instance in the field of electroacoustic music, dance music and pop.

Significance: This is the first serious contribution in the field of Schillinger studies since 1946 when the original books first appeared. This book distills all the rhythmic techniques described by Schillinger into one coherent overview and shows how the system may be used effectively to compose music of real substance.

Rigour: This book is the culmination of years of scholarship, starting with a PhD thesis, and further developed through dialogue with other Schillinger scholars, the benefits of a national and an international conference organised by the author, and through exhaustive library research. Given its degree of specialisation It has reached a wide audience, especially in the USA, and remains the authoritative text on this subject.