Music is “the tones or sounds employed, occurring in single line (melody) or multiple lines (harmony), and sounded or to be sounded by one or more voices or instruments, or both” (Dictionary). It is definitely one of the most powerful of arts that all composers use it for expressing their ideas and emotions in significant forms through those important musical elements. Also, music can be divided into two different theories: one is the Formalism theory and another is the Expressionist theory. Therefore, these Formalism and Expressionism theories have their own meanings and purposes in terms of having an impact on composers and listeners. The first significant theory of music is Formalism. This is the theory that a composer does not basically …show more content…
Leonard B. Meyer indicated and defined the meaning of Expressionists on his book Emotion and Meaning in Music in 1956 that “the expressionist would argue that these same relationships are in some sense capable of exciting feelings and emotions in the listener” (qtd. in Huron). In other words, any composers popularly use it for insisting that music can evoke emotions and feelings. Thus, these composers express their emotions and feelings by passing these two important elements through their each work. To be honest, I definitely think that this Expressionism theory is totally effective for helping composers achieve their purpose in term of communicating and having an impact on the listeners’ emotions and feelings. In addition, I also think that this theory influentially compels the listeners to understand and to feel the same way as the composers do. So, Expressionism theory is truly powerful for me. Therefore, Formalism and Expressionism are the significant theories of music that all of the composers use them to create a piece of music and to express their powerful ideas in their work of art. As the definition of theory means “the branch of a science or art that deals with its principles or methods, as distinguished from its practice,” so there is no right or wrong on these two musical theories. Because both Formalism and Expressionism theories have their own concentrations and ideas, it depends on our own personal feeling that which one we like and which one we
1. Music is a strictly local expression, rich in variety since each culture expresses affective differences through art, 2. Music is a poetic process--complex, vague, and irrational--based upon borrowed traditional musical materials (melodies, rhythms, forms, etc.), 3. Music is for a religious, elitist-class performer who can understand and appreciate its mysterious nature and power, 4. Music is played softly in intimate gatherings, 5. Music making is the activity of Everyman, exacting the talents of variously trained amateurs who, with industry and practice, decorate their recreation and leisure in moments of social intercourse.
“In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” (Sol LeWitt - Artform, 1967)
Oxford’s dictionary defines music: as vocal or instrumental sounds or both, combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music, as a form of expression and communication, comes in many forms and styles: classical, folk, country, rock, and electronic
The Abstract Expressionists are different from Surrealists in the way that they didn’t need to have an exact plan for their artwork. The Abstract Expressionists were more spontaneous in their artwork and didn’t interfere with the subconscious process, unlike the Surrealists did in order to convey their emotions. Not only are the Abstract Expressionists different from Surrealists in their styles, but also in religious connections that are rarely
Because of human intention, people have music. So I think music should be related to human intention. The next thing is about human perception. The interesting thing of music 's origin is that there is no clear record to tell the public when and how people have music. The time period, about 60,000 and 30,000 years ago, is an indecisive period and it only came from speculation. So maybe music emerged in different ways in different places, just as now in the world every country or even every city have its own musical cultures. In this perspective, music is really subjective since it is inescapable tied to culture and the experience of the audience. Hence, music is all about personal opinion, which is corresponding to perception. Even though music does have some basic component, everyone has different opinion on music. The definition of music should satisfies the subjective of music. "To be successful, a definition of music must balance these various stories, defining music in terms of its traditions"(Davis 552). The HIP approach solve this difficulty by reserving the subjective of music and balance various musical cultures and traditions in the world. This definition lets the audience judge if they think the sound belongs to music. Therefore, a successful definition of music should be related to human perception since only in this way can balance the various cultures. From the analysis
Black smoke stained the sky and scarlet blood darkened the earth, as global war, once again, ravaged twentieth-century society. The repercussions of the Second World War rippled across the Atlantic and spread like an infectious disease. As the morality of humankind appeared to dissipate with each exploding bomb, anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness riddled the American public and began to spill into the art of New York City’s avant-garde (Paul par. 4). By the mid-1940s, artists reeling from the unparalleled violence, brutality, and destruction of war found a shared “vision and purpose” in a new artistic movement: Abstract Expressionism (Chave 3). Critics considered the most prominent artists of the movement to comprise the New York School
Impressionism is another important one that was actually not just in music. It was a trait that could be found in pieces of art as well. Impressionist artists could be considered realists. They would see and understand the art in a world of reality. The works of these artists and composers takes imagination to grasp. They are works that are said to have no boundaries. The work of impressionism started with the French in the late 19th century. An example of an impressionist composer would be Debussy. His works are very hard to follow and have quite sounds.
Music is far more than the sum of its parts. It can be thought of in a highly mathematical sense, which leaves one in awe of the seemingly endless combinations of rhythm, tone and intervals that a good musician can produce. Admiring music in this way is a lot like admiring an intricate snowflake, or shapes in the clouds; it's beautiful, but at the same time very scientific, based on patterns. All of the aforementioned qualities of music have one thing in common: they can be defined with numeric, specific values. However, the greatest aspect of music lies elsewhere, and cannot be specifically defined with words. It is the reaction that each individual has when they are confronted with their favorite (or least favorite) kind of music.
Music is an art that combines vocal and instrumental sounds to produce something that gives different emotions to the listeners. Music can make a person sad, happy and romantic at the same time. Playing an instrument is also a music, not only singing a song. I had this misunderstanding that music has the song and the musical instrument included in it. But I realized that musical instruments have more importance and beauty than a song including in it.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
The German Expressionism movement started in the early twentieth century art world, pre-WWI, presumably from Vincent Van Gogh’s “pioneering expressionist paintings like… Starry, Starry Night”(Encyclopaedia of Art History). It was a purely aesthetic movement at this time that sought to oppose the Impressionist movement, which imitated nature, by imposing unnatural, distorted images. Aspects of those distortions served to convey the emotions an artist held towards their subject. War brought terror. War brought mental meltdowns. War changed the Expressionistic style into a “bitter protest movement”(Encyclopaedia of Art History) as artists “suffered from war-induced disillusionment and were dissatisfied with post-war German
Music: the art of organized noise. The blend of pitch and rhythm combined in different mediums and enjoyed by our ears. A very interpretive art, music isn’t very clearly constricted or defined by one definition. With so many varieties of music, it’s difficult to say what aspect is really the most important. Some people think music’s history and the appreciation of music are the most important aspects to take into consideration. Some think complex in rhythms and melodies make the best music. Some people devote their whole lives to studying one genre of music in order to fully understand how that genre works. While all of these aspects of music are important, none of them can truly be compared with each other on a fair playing field. Music of different genres, eras, and geographic backgrounds were written for different purposes, different people, and different settings. Still, there is still one overarching theme that applies to all forms of music new or old: the way the composer presents his or her creation. The performance and presentation of a work of music is like the icing on the top of a cake. The cake may be the best you’ve ever tasted, but if the icing on the outside doesn’t look appealing or doesn’t taste good, chances are you’ll take a different piece of cake with better looking frosting next time. The performance of music is what appeals most to people. With live performance, an artist must “sell” his or her creation. They must put smile on their face and convey to the audience that this is their music and through the music explain why it’s awesome. They must persevere through whatever the stage, the audience, and their surroundings give them and put on a good show. In today’s popular music though, this aspect of showma...
Different styles were impressionism, expressionism, neoclassicism, primitiveism and minimalism. Composers trying to create completely new sounds produced experimental music, spatial music, and electronic music. Not all composers aim for completely new things. Some wanted to continue the traditions of old classical composers while also finding ways to make their music relevant in their time. All of these elements together are what characterize the twentieth century and what influences much of our music today.
Neither Formalism nor Neo-Formalism is the defining answer to the questions raised in the nature of art. As before, we are left to wonder, what theories will be created and indeed shot down by the philosophy community in relation to the nature of art next?
Romanticism is described as the basis of the fact that reason cannot explain everything. Romantic artists tried to reach their audience through a deeper and an enhanced emotional appeal. The Romantic Era was seen as a rebellion towards the Enlightenment. Romantic thinkers created a different idea to the middle ages than enlightenment thinkers. They used this time as a way to expand their knowledge and become more spiritually adventurous. The Romantic Era was seen as a revolt to the age of Enlightenment. It can sometimes be described as an opposite of “classicism”. Rousseau believed in the goodness and the natural while romanticism is a logic that is not meant to be explained or questioned, because there are no answers. On a larger scale, it was more widespread both in its origins and influence. Romanticism was largely based on self-expression. Not only was there a revolution in Romanticism but there was also a comparable revolution in music. The revolution of romantic music lasted from about 1820 to 1900. Germany largely invested in Musical Romanticism. One respected French reference work defines it entirely in terms of “The role of music in the aesthetics of German romanticism”. Romantic music describes an era of Western classical music. Romantic music took control over the Romantic period in Germany. The characteristics of music that evolved and influenced development during the Romantic Era were the elements of music, acclaimed musicians lifestyles, famous composers, and the events in history that inspired these composers.