Dear Readers,
Did you recognize the man on our cover? It has been some years now since his best-known song was a hit, but it has become an evergreen. After all, it summed up the outlook on life par excellence in troubled times: Don’t worry, be happy! Though, performed by other singers, it might have sounded either unbelievably naive or cynical, everybody was prepared to accept what Bobby McFerrin had to say: there can be an important message behind even the sim- plest words of worldly wisdom. Nobody could get away from this particular song, sung a cappella and in a falsetto that was as clear as a bell. But McFerrin has produced far more than just catchy commercial tunes. He has also made a name for himself as a pianist, composer and conductor, and has successfully tried his hand at any number of genres: he has, for example, played with classical cellist Yo Yo Ma and jazz musician Chick Corea. And he even made it into the Guinness Book of Records when he assem- bled 50,000 singers for the 250th birthday of J. S. Bach, so that they could sing Ave Maria for the birthday boy. Bobby McFerrin has just turned 60 himself – we would like to wish him many more interesting musical ideas and to wel- come him as an ambassador for Hear the World!

Even Socrates expressed surprise at and respect for the “music therapy” practiced by the ancient Thracians (the mythical singer Orpheus was a Thracian!). The philosopher reported on an early version of what is known today as “holistic” medicine – a type of medicine that includes the body, the intellect and the soul in the healing process. Anybody who has put on his favourite music to comfort himself or calm himself down at bleak moments, during sickness, or at times of spiritual distress knows that sounds can be beneficial. Nowadays, the knowledge of physicians and brain researchers regarding the effects of music on health and intellectual performance goes far beyond such musical self-experimentation. Read for yourself what brain researcher Professor Erwin-Josef Speckmann has to say about the surprising effect of certain sounds on the brain.

Following on from music – from pleasurable or even health- giving listening – in this issue of HEAR THE WORLD we also address a hearing scenario which often receives too little attention: simply listening at meetings, lectures or confer- ences. The reason: this is something that we find surpris- ingly difficult; we have obviously forgotten (or never learnt) how to listen properly! Of course, there is no doubt that one of the reasons for this is boring and badly prepared ma- terial. But even in important discussions with friends or business partners, we often do not listen properly – with corresponding results. Indeed, many a “misunderstanding” would never have occurred if we were able to listen a bit more closely a second time. Max Ackermann puts the case for a culture of listening properly.

As usual, in this issue we have once again put together a wealth of interesting, entertaining and informative articles on the multifarious world of hearing: take to the skies with Roland Austinat and read his amusing article on the hear- ing experiences of a frequent flyer. Accompany Marcel Krenz to Seattle where he hopes to discover the secret of star architect Frank Gehry’s success – by visiting the lat- ter’s music museum, the Experience Music Project. Meet a passionate collector of a very special kind in Matthias Westerweller’s article – field recording is the name he gives the capturing and storing of all kinds of original sounds for posterity, from a politician’s speech to the bel- lowing of a stag. And much more besides...I would like to wish you an enjoyable read!

Sincerely yours,
Alexander Zschokke

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