The Space between the Notes

A few years ago, I listened to a lecture entitled the Space between the Notes.  It struck a chord with me (pun intended!), as I thought through the implications of this simple phrase.

The quote, “Music is the space between the notes” is attributed to the French composer Claude Debussy.  

Think how music would sound so differently if not played with attention to half, quarter or whole notes, staccatos, and of course, rests - that magic space that delivers the beat and elevates the flow.

 A composition would dissolve into cacophony if those “spaces” weren’t observed … and obviously sound entirely different from how it was intended.