What the Philosophers say about reality is often as deceptive as when you see a sign in a second-hand store that reads: Pressing Done Here. If you went in with your clothes to have them pressed you would be fooled; the sign is for sale.
— Søren Kierkegaard, “Diapsalmata” from Either/Or.
What does music mean?
Is it any more or less meaning-full than poetry, or painting?
Would the "meaning" remain if it were music composed by a computer?
Is lyric the primary component of the "meaning" in a song, or is melody/rhythm just as important?
(I realize that some of my readers could probably undercut my whole question with arguments about what music is to begin with, but for the sake of debate let's go with the popular "melody/rhythm/sometimes lyric" definition.)
A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The Clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it's a joke.
— Søren Kierkegaard, “Diapsalmata” from Either/Or.
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2 comments:
lyric vs melody/rhythm? That's quite an old debate. . . progromatic music (with a 'programme' or story attached) vs pure music 'for it's own sake' had very fierce people on both sides in the romantic era. Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Wagner, all had their definite opinions. My opinion? I like both programatic and 'pure' music, though I tend to like putting a story to story-less music, so maybe I lean towards programmatic. . . but don't hold me to that - I may change my mind yet.
Interesting... Let's go a step further, then: are "hymns" more meaningful to you than the melodies they're put to? If so, would the hymns lose some of their meaning with the lyrics removed? I realize there's no way to un-hear the lyrics, so let's just go with a possible scenario: you hear the melody; do you respond by thinking of the lyrics, or just by thinking / humming / tapping the melody/rhythm?
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