The Enlightenment provides some of the most unified artistic visions in our shared history. The irony of this is that while unified, the art, music, and philosophy of the age is not a reflection of the world that birthed it, but rather a product of its ideals. 

The modern world begins here. Science, reason, political liberalism, and modern sounding music all add together to turn this era into the first one in which we can truly call our world.

Beneath the veneer of the Renaissance, a movement of reform and destruction was occurring. Martin Luther’s Reformation, while intended to merely change church practices and reinvigorate the doctrine itself turned into a movement of destruction for the art lover of the day. To fill the void, music stepped into the forefront of the newly formed Lutheran church and culture would never be the same. Still elsewhere, King Henry VII staged his own reform movement of sorts and through the drive of his ego, he would set England on course for literary greatness.

The Renaissance is the first period of time in which we can truly see ourselves in history. This week, Zach explores the major artistic, philosophical, and musical developments that helped turn this period into the first of the modern world. 

The Dark Ages or the Middle Ages seem horribly impenetrable to us in our modern, secular age. Buried beneath this heavy weight of religious belief and strange images is a culture that is rich in meaning, symbolism, and a logical extension of how anyone would behave if they could possibly die tomorrow. Join us this week as we explore this misunderstood period in our history. 

In this episode, Zach and Susan explore the vast region of time that precedes our recorded history and try to piece together how music and art came to be.  

In our second season premier we revisit a part of music that Zach neglected to mention when we began the show - the overtone series. Join us and learn how it influences the tendencies and sound of our music.