My own belief is that all music has an expressive power, some more and some less, but that all music has a certain meaning behind the notes and that the meaning behind the notes constitutes, after all, what the piece is saying, what the piece is about. The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, ‘Is there a meaning to music?’ My answer to that would be, ‘Yes.’ And ‘Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?’ My answer to that would be, ‘No.’ Therein lies the difficulty.
This brief quote comes from Aaron Copland’s What to Listen for in Music and I’ve found it validating. I love listening to music, but I have no idea how to write about it. The language to write about literature and film comes to me easily enough, but music seems much harder.
Kierkegaard argues that “[t]he most abstract idea conceivable is the spirit of sensuality,” and that it can be represented “[o]nly in music,” thanks largely to the way it exists in time. Moreover, music offers something that cannot be put into words.
When I read writings by music writers, I wonder what they possibly mean by a “wet synth” or “jagged rhythms.” Yet, this language is meaningful: we should not interpret “wet” or “jagged” literally, they are simply the closest metaphors we can use to put the sound of music into words.
Making matters more challenging, we each hear music differently. We might say, fairly abstractly, that a piece is happy, sad, romantic, or energizing, but these adjectives simply cannot effectively describe a piece of music. Is the sadness melancholic? Is it filled with regret? Longing? Saudade? Does it mourn? Is there a story, or is it some formless emotion?
Music is an art form like any other, but it somehow feels more challenging. It seems like such a difficult language to learn, but that won’t prevent me from doing so. I’d really like to better appreciate music beyond merely enjoying it.
