Philosophically investigating Music (with a capital M) is something I can get behind, man.
I think a different spin on the approach we’ve taken thus far is good for us, too. But this one turned out to be a little exhausting.
In taking us through his three philosophical models for understanding music– the literary, organic, and wallpaper theories– we get a glimpse into a variety of ‘intellectual’ discourses on the subject of music that took place over the course of history. I’m interested in the way a general understanding of music and it’s role within society / culture has evolved over time, particularly because of how different I feel like our interaction with music is today. When we compare the way we experience music–in all it’s forms in the day and age– it’s role in our lives is very different from that of ‘high art’ or ‘literature’ etc etc. While we engage with it, we also mass-consume it. We enjoy pop music’s ability to engage us and at once NOT require this kind of long-winded discourse on why it does what it does to us and whether or not it should be compared to something some people think is better than it. And of course it’s ability to function this way in our lives has a lot to do with repetition.
Why would the presence of repetition in music ever be considered a viable argument for it’s artistic viability (or something?) The very thing he points out on the bottom of page 330 when he’s just getting in to the second point on the literary model is proof enough–of intention, and of viability–
“Second, the literary model seems to give to music alone a dimension that assures something like the high status that its enthusiasts and practitioners ascribe to it..”
That struck ma’ chord because I kept thinking that very thing about myself throughout the article in a weird way. Music moves us.. it moooves our affections.. isn’t that something we all know (/feel?) I thought that’s why we were reading the other book about our brain and music– to try and understand why we feel the way we feel when we listen to it. No?
I see repetition in music being more akin to the spine of every book bound.. the theatres that house the actors.. it’s a huge part of the way we understand and interact with it. And as much as I want to sort through those ideas.. it’ll have to wait.. because it’s 7:59:59!