Introduced by: Joern Boost
Moderated by: Daniel Star
Joern began by handing out copies of the notes he had prepared on the topic (click to see a revised version). Rather than reading through the notes, he gave a spontaneous overview of his thoughts on the subject. Among the ideas he expressed were the following. Music is a language because it uses sound. So is all art, because it is created by men to imitate what exists. We imitate nature because human beings inevitably feel there is something missing in us. This void makes us naturally want to come into unity with the world around us--a goal that can also be accomplished through the study of mathematics. Music can be defined in terms of harmony, order and proportion. Some ancient Greeks, for example, viewed the universe as a system of seven spheres, whose rotation produces sound. When their revolutions merge harmoniously, music comes into being. Except for the fact that they put the earth in the centre of their system, it is surprisingly consistent with modern science, where Einstein's C-squared defines universal motion. Likewise, we now know that light splits up in a similar way: the one colour of light is the language/music of the universe. Human experiences such as love, art, music, and mathematics are all attempts to bridge the gap between the one and the many. So is religion: we create gods as an expression of the same desire for reunion with the oneness of the universe.
Daniel, in his role as guest moderator, highlighted three points made in Joern's introduction that we might question and/or discuss further: (1) art is imitation; (2) music is a language; and (3) the function of art is to restore our sense of unity with the universe. In view of the large number in attendance (over 30) he suggested we begin by discussing these or other related issues in small groups, following a few minutes for questions of initial clarification.
Jeff asked "What is music?" to which Joern responded that it is the revelation of the motion of the universe, a "force" serving as a form of communication. Jeff rebutted: then how is music distinguished from noise? Joern suggested that harmony is the key to making such a distinction. In response to a comment from Simone, Joern also suggested that music can exist without air.
At this point, Daniel dismissed us for a 45-minute small group discussion session. (Note: quite a few people commented that they very much enjoyed their small group discussions. However, nobody responded to an offer to have insights from these sessions included in this summary. Personally, I [Steve] also found the small group session to be stimulating and very worthwhile. Some of the key insights raised were subsequently shared to the whole group, so there is no need to summarize them here.)
When Daniel reconvened the meeting, Steve shared an insight from the small group discussion he participated in: music as a force must be distinguished from music as an idea, and it is not immediately clear which one has priority. Joern responded that music is power: it vibrates through the very bones of deaf people! At this, David objected that Joern's theory is too ambiguous: the grand idea needs to be reconciled with the realities of our everyday experience.
Yvonne again raised the question: What is music? She pointed out that Joern's extremely broad account would seem to include everything from silence to the racket being made by the person clearing trays for the cafe. Roy added that Joern's position seems to mix a metaphorical view of "order" with reality. Philosophers should be more literal in their analyses. Surely an adequate definition of music, he argued, must reflect that its expression depends on the culture in question. And this, he concluded, means there is actually no answer to the question "What is music?"
Tom B. claimed that the introduction needed more specificity, as would have been provided by defining specific types of music. Steve agreed that this would be helpful, but suggested that the philosopher still ought to be looking for a common factor shared by all such types. Tom replied that all types of music should consist of arrangements of sound produced for a specific intention. Pia, noting that her group had agreed with Joern's view of music as having a bridging function, asked whether the listener needs to understand the composer's intention in order for the sounds to be music. Tom admitted that this is not necessary; in fact, the composer's intention is sometimes unconscious. Steve pointed out that not all intentionally produced sounds are musical, and so asked for a further clarification of the type of intent that produces music. Tom replied: "the intent to make music!" Yvonne observed that many types of music are produced quite unintentionally. For example, the sound of waves crashing against the beach is regarded by some people as a form of music, yet it is not manmade and probably not intentionally produced.
Here Joern emphasized that music is and must be a way of communicating with yourself. But to this Roy responded that most artists do not know what they are trying to communicate; for this reason he views the whole intention issue as a red herring. Pia added that some artists intentionally have no intention when producing their art.
David shared that he quite enjoys listening to "passing the time" music, and regards it as a genuine expression of music. Lene added that many forms of music have a very specific and rigid application without having any unique intent. Steve asked whether this really contradicts Tom's definition, provided the person making the sounds intends to be making music. Daniel opined that even those forms of music that have a very practical application can have a clear intent.
Joern then reminded us of his view that artists are expressing themselves and/or imitating nature; communication with ourselves and/or the universe is the key. Someone responded that music is a manmade template; it is a human being's attempt to interpret a natural force. Such interpretation can involve not only hearing but also smelling and seeing--or whatever resonates in a person's soul. Jeff agreed that resonance is the key to understanding what music is. Roy asked whether this is a metaphorical or a literal definition. Jeff answered that it is both.
Speaking further on the issue of intention, Roy argued that the fundamental aspect of music is order and that order is produced by intention. Disorderly music is therefore an abuse of the genuine concept of music. Steve replied that, paradoxically, musicians who write disorderly music are still intending to offer a systematic (indeed, orderly!) presentation of disorder. Joern related this idea to Picasso's paintings, which can tell several quite different stories in one painting.
Daniel suggested that we end with comments from people who had not yet had an opportunity to speak. Among those who shared were the following. Clarence asked what it is that makes music so appealing to us. The answer, he thinks, is a constantly changing facade--and as such, remains a mystery. And Darren related that members of his small group thought art and music ought to be carefully distinguished in such discussions. He also mentioned their discussion of how deaf people experience music.
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The newly formed HKPC Executive Committee having agreed that meeting topics should henceforth be planned two months in advance, Steve announced that Daniel Star will introduce the next HKPC meeting, to be held on Tuesday, August 29th, on a topic relating to the meaning of work. The following topics were then suggested for the September meeting:
What is art?
What is language?
The value of nature
The ethics of genetic engineering
The ethics of commercializing natural development OR Is Dolly a good thing?
Should we be allowed to patent nature?
Can we own nature?
Creating man
Is national identity a valid concept?
After a brief discussion of these options, we settled on the latter, with introducer to be decided later.
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