MCR students discuss the nature of sound in a colloquium held in Passau

New College MCR students, along with the Organist, Robert Quinney, and the Warden, attended a colloquium with counterparts from Goodenough College from the University of London, along with the Reverend Doctor Alan McCormack. 

Held in Passau, the colloquium discussed the nature of sound, in the raw: the concept of equal temperament in music; the nature of musical perception, of consonance and dissonance, with deep dives into composers such as J S Bach and Messiaen. It involved a visit to the famous organ, one of the largest in the world.

Apart from Robert, the faculty consisted of Dr Kerry Houston (Trinity College, Dublin), Dr Jeremy Thurlow (Robinson College, Cambridge) and James Batty (RAM). The colloquium follows on from the exchanges which have gathered momentum over the years between New College graduate students and Goodenough. The rückblick at the end concluded that the insights and interdisciplinary connections had provided the attenders with a significantly enhanced understanding of how music actually works.