Notes on biological evolution
In the course of biological evolution - from the blue-green algae right up to the emergence of human beings - nature has continuously generated new forms of life. The principle of natural selection has tested these new forms of life and eliminated those that did not fit their environment; those who did, survived and underwent further development.
Biodiversity is the number of different life forms in a given environment.
An ecosystem is healthy if, and only if, it has a high degree of biodiversity.
Notes on cultural evolution
Similar mechanisms steer cultural evolution. If the mental biodiversity in a human system is high enough, creative ideas, techniques and products appear. Subsequently, the principle of cultural selection intervenes and separates the wheat from the chaff. Whatever survives the inexorable test stimulates new creative performances. Whatever is eliminated vanishes from the scene or may serve others as a warning as to what one should rather not attempt to do.
The more unique and creative the result of a specific performance or product, the longer society will take to appreciate its true value. In some cases it may take centuries until the final verdict is on the table and initial rejection is replaced by acceptance and admiration.
Music - a cultural ecosystem
In the course of cultural evolution new forms continuously emerge in a specific ecosystem. Music is a cultural ecosystem, and pop songs are a particular species within that system. Since the 1970s pop songs have lost a lot of their former originality, charm and vitality. This decline is due mainly to proliferative inbreeding within specific musical communities. To improve an impoverished biodiversity in the realm of songs we need to encourage interaction between the musical concepts and techniques of musicians who have evolved in diverse musical cultures.
What the cantautore Gottlieb Guntern is trying to achieve
Since the early nineties songwriter Gottlieb Guntern has worked together with a considerable number of musicians from different musical cultures. In the two CDs sun trail and silk road Afro-American Jazz musicians in San Francisco, classical Indian raga musicians in Mumbai and Bangalore, Chinese folk and classical musicians in Shanghai and Beijing, and excellent Swiss musicians have all worked together.
The result of this mental biodiversity-in-interaction is a rich tapestry of rhythms, melodies and harmonic subtleties. It is music that pleases our ear and stimulates our mind. The sophisticated lyrics create a surprising consonance between apparent opposites such as wisdom and irony, contemplation and provocation, Zen-like detachment and courageous social engagement. |
