Concerning Music

Part I: Musical Transcendence

 

I have always had an immense love and respect for music. Its capacity for celestial beauty and ability to inspire has affected billions of people, yet its power is often underestimated. In this series of articles, I will describe a fundamental and basic understanding of the nature (and effects) of music, in the hope that my thoughts are as close to the truth as possible.

While I have had some training in music, I have very little education in regards to music theory and the psychology and philosophy that informs it and flows from it, so I hope the reader will forgive me for any errors arising from my ignorance. Everything I know concerning this subject is rooted in my own observations and my basic psychological and philosophical knowledge (a knowledge founded in simple and universal metaphysical principles).

Let me first vehemently establish that there is an objective good in music. The common perception that good in music is subjective or relative is a fallacy. Music, first and foremost, is art. The final end and purpose of art is to portray truth (which, in this article, is synonymous with reality) and beauty in creation, to portray what is truly real, and its ultimate effect will necessarily be the raising of the mind to the Creator and the First Artist. It is a simple fact of human experience that some art fulfills this task better than others.

All art is subject to an objective judgement in the sense that it is either good art or bad art. This judgment is determined by both an objective and a subjective element. The subject matter of the art itself can be judged objectively according to its beautiful portrayal of what is true or real, and subjectively dependent on the skill of the artist and his ability to model his art after beauty and truth. In short, the objective good of the artifact is directly related to the objective good of its model, and the subjective good is directly related to the likeness between artifact and the model, which is dependent on the skill of the artist.

(A note on my use of the terms "truth" and "reality":  sin in itself is a lie, a turning away from all that is true, from God Himself. God, as Being Itself, contains within himself all that is, therefore all that is real is in God. Thus, in this metaphysical sense, sin, by itself and for itself, is not real and cannot be the subject of art. However, the effects of sin such as mercy, suffering and death, justice, damnation and forgiveness are valid, and indeed highly appropriate subjects for art as they are ultimately about our relationship with God. Furthermore, as the transcendentals {truth, beauty and goodness} all reside in God it follows that these "effects of sin" are objective goods.)

Music as art has the unique capacity to be modeled after a diverse and often exceedingly profound array of subjects. To clarify, I am speaking primarily of music separate from human vocals. The presence of vocals in music adds an entirely new element which I will describe in the final portion of this essay.

At its most basic level, music is written to tell a story, and the artist struggles to illustrate this story with the often ambiguous sounds of musical instruments, knowing that the quality of his art will be judged by how well it tells the story. Observe that such music can illustrate an objectively good story, as well as a story lacking in goodness.

Another model for musical composition is human emotion itself. It is in this arena that music has its real power, for it can represent and inspire nearly every emotion, both good and evil. How often have our moods been quickly changed by an arrangement of musical notes? This power has often been used to influence people for good as well as for evil. Ultimately it is by the emotive power of music that our thoughts and feelings are raised to the divine or lowered to the profane.

One may argue that this is a utilitarian understanding of music; that it should stand on its own apart from human influence and desire. In reply I would ask: in what realm, in what manner, and to what end can any art form be separated from the mind who gives it form and from the souls who will experience it? There will always be a part of us in that which we create.

In summary, music in its most perfect form and separate from vocal elements will represent the good (in light of the use of a transcendental here, one may even substitute the word "transcendent") in humanity and nature. Follow music to the heights (or depths) from which it flows and to which it leads, and it will ultimately inspire the contemplation of the beauty that is in all of creation, thus aiding in the ascent of the mind to the Creator Himself.

I have established the purpose of music as an art form; now one may readily ask how this is applicable to the vast array of musical styles and genres. Are there musical styles that represent beauty and truth more perfectly than others? Do certain genres inspire positive emotion while other genres inspire negative emotions? The answer to both these questions is yes, and I will explain how and why in part two of this article.