Submitted by jsdubois015 on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 17:17
Music expresses far more than emotions. In fact, I think in the technical sense, the emotions we experience when listening to a piece a music are entirely our reactions to the music and not something inherent within it. Instead, music expresses the artists view of the world and man, in other words, very broad abstract concepts. These concepts, in turn, then evoke certain emotional responses within us. If the composer's views are closely aligned to our own, we experience a positive reaction to the music, regardless of whether the music is joyful or sad. On the other hand, if the composer's views are in contradiction to our own, we experience a negative reaction. For example, Bach's music always gives me the feeling of being in an ornate, solemn cathedral. Perhaps Bach saw the world as beautifully adorned by its Creator, abounding in infinite variety. Beethoven's music gives me the sense of standing on a mountaintop after a strenuous climb, glorying in personal triumph. He might have seen the world as something that must be fought against to achieve one's fulfillment. On the other hand, Schoenberg always leaves me with a feeling of being lost in a bizarre world beholding terrifying sights that can't possibly be real. Perhaps Schoenberg saw the world as beyond man's control, unknowable and wild. This is what every composer does whether he is conscious of the process or not. He creates the world as he sees it in each piece he composes. So what world do you see in the music of your favorite composers and how much does it agree with your own?
Comments(You have to be logged in to leave a comment)
This is pretty interesting. So you think that music, even in its most abstract, somehow expresses composer's view of the world? I assume that this "view of the world" is something very basic and totally non-verbal. At the same time, you can verbalize the emotions these views invoke in you. This is not necessarily a contradiction, but the following question comes about: your emotions ("Bach's cathedral") are purely yours, not the composer's, so could it be that they have very little to do with the composer's "view of the world"? And aren't these composers much bigger than our "feelings" about them? And does Bach's Italian Concerto invoke the same image as the St. Matthew Passion?
One's view of the world is the basic fundamental values that a person holds. It's made up of extremely broad abstract concepts. So broad that, yes, it's non-verbal. A composer's view of the world is what it is, it's a non-disputable fact. I don't know if we could 100% know for sure exactly how Bach, or any other composer, saw the world, but we can get a good idea of it through his compositions. A cathedral is the best concrete representation I can think of to give to the basic expression of Bach's music. I listen to Bach's music and I identify his view of the world, abstractly. That identification is then embodied in an emotional response which is a subconscious reaction. The image of something, in my case a cathedral, is the necessity of the mind to link an abstract concept to something concrete. So, in a way, my image of a cathedral is subjective, but it has a basis in something objective: the composer's view of the world. And yes, any work by Bach evokes the same image, with minor variations. Like moving from room to room or from a shadowy corner to a brilliant stain glass window of the same cathedral.
The World Inside the Music
Submitted by jsdubois015 on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 17:17
Music expresses far more than emotions. In fact, I think in the technical sense, the emotions we experience when listening to a piece a music are entirely our reactions to the music and not something inherent within it. Instead, music expresses the artists view of the world and man, in other words, very broad abstract concepts. These concepts, in turn, then evoke certain emotional responses within us. If the composer's views are closely aligned to our own, we experience a positive reaction to the music, regardless of whether the music is joyful or sad. On the other hand, if the composer's views are in contradiction to our own, we experience a negative reaction. For example, Bach's music always gives me the feeling of being in an ornate, solemn cathedral. Perhaps Bach saw the world as beautifully adorned by its Creator, abounding in infinite variety. Beethoven's music gives me the sense of standing on a mountaintop after a strenuous climb, glorying in personal triumph. He might have seen the world as something that must be fought against to achieve one's fulfillment. On the other hand, Schoenberg always leaves me with a feeling of being lost in a bizarre world beholding terrifying sights that can't possibly be real. Perhaps Schoenberg saw the world as beyond man's control, unknowable and wild. This is what every composer does whether he is conscious of the process or not. He creates the world as he sees it in each piece he composes. So what world do you see in the music of your favorite composers and how much does it agree with your own?
This is pretty interesting. So you think that music, even in its most abstract, somehow expresses composer's view of the world? I assume that this "view of the world" is something very basic and totally non-verbal. At the same time, you can verbalize the emotions these views invoke in you. This is not necessarily a contradiction, but the following question comes about: your emotions ("Bach's cathedral") are purely yours, not the composer's, so could it be that they have very little to do with the composer's "view of the world"? And aren't these composers much bigger than our "feelings" about them? And does Bach's Italian Concerto invoke the same image as the St. Matthew Passion?
One's view of the world is the basic fundamental values that a person holds. It's made up of extremely broad abstract concepts. So broad that, yes, it's non-verbal. A composer's view of the world is what it is, it's a non-disputable fact. I don't know if we could 100% know for sure exactly how Bach, or any other composer, saw the world, but we can get a good idea of it through his compositions. A cathedral is the best concrete representation I can think of to give to the basic expression of Bach's music. I listen to Bach's music and I identify his view of the world, abstractly. That identification is then embodied in an emotional response which is a subconscious reaction. The image of something, in my case a cathedral, is the necessity of the mind to link an abstract concept to something concrete. So, in a way, my image of a cathedral is subjective, but it has a basis in something objective: the composer's view of the world. And yes, any work by Bach evokes the same image, with minor variations. Like moving from room to room or from a shadowy corner to a brilliant stain glass window of the same cathedral.