Music has been a part of human life for as long as history has existed. It is something so normal and delightful in our society, but most people just listen to it and don't bat an eye. What if we take a look at music philosophically? Not questioning why it exists, but rather paying attention to the question of why it makes us feel emotions the way it does. Schopenhauer said, “The inexpressible depth of music, so easy to understand and yetso inexplicable, is due to the fact that it reproduces all emotions of our innermost being, but entirely without reality and remote from its pain…”. Although I do partially agree with his philosophy, I do not believe that music is entirely without reality. I believe that it is something that is used to communicate as a language, and has a physical purpose in our reality. That is something I’d like to discuss in this installment.
So why is it that music makes us feel? What about an organization of sound evokes emotion in our minds? Some scientists have theories of music stimulating our brains simply because it is different, but my philosophy on this is that music is a language in itself. This sounds strange at first, but let's take a deeper look into this thought. According to Dictionary.com, Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. With music, can be both spoken (whether through an instrument or through vocals), and written. Music also follows a structure and has the ability to communicate feelings to anyone, no matter what language they speak. According to the great philosopher Pythagoras, “There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres”. He acknowledged that music is more than just noise that we enjoy. Music is a powerful force of communication and can be studied through mathematics. I believe that music is a universal language that can be understood by all, and that it makes us feel certain ways because it is language in its most simple form. It is just sound. For example, take a listen to this song.
It has a dark and gloomy feel to it, does it not? I’m sure most people would think, “Well it is only sad because of the meaning behind the lyrics”. Well yes the lyrics are dark, but let's take a listen to something without lyrics and see if it has a similar effect. While you listen to this, I want you to let your mind go and allow it to be taken to wherever the music brings it.
Pretty interesting right? There weren't any lyrics this time, but an emotion was still there.
If we view music as a language, it becomes more apparent why this occurs. Think of each note as a word, and each chord as a phrase. Think of the key of a song as the tone of one's voice, and of the tempo as the personality of the person speaking to you.
When we look at music as a language, the reason why it evokes emotions starts to make more sense. In my next installment I will be discussing my own personal thoughts, as well as those of professionals on the topic of why a certain note or chord might make us feel a certain way.
- Sources: 1985b, “Understanding Music”, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society (Supplement), 59(1): 233–48. doi:10.1093/aristoteliansupp/59.1.215
- 1995, Values of Art: Pictures, Poetry and Music, London: Penguin.
- Dictionary.com
Music is a kind of language, but like poetry isn't it a language capable of transcending words? Isn't that a big part of its aura and power, that it has its impact in ways we literally cannp0t describe... but may recognize viscerally. And yet, the notion of experts telling us exactly how music soothes the savage breast is a bit off-putting, it fails to ackowledge variability of reaction and
ReplyDeleteexpression. I know we can enhance our "music appreciation" by listening to musical opinion-makers, but ultimately mustn't we allow ourselves to just like what we like? Happy are those whose likes are broad as well as deep.
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