Robert Spano on music as philosophy

In this class clip from MUS 470 (Harmonic Experience: Metaphysics and Music), Robert Spano talks about how music expresses a nonverbal philosophical way of thinking. Music's symbols and tones cannot be expressed through words, which are not precise enough to express the layers and depths of tonality. Maestro Spano, music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, is the Emory University Distinguished Artist in Residence. For more details on the MUS 470 class, see the blog at http://blogs.emory.edu/harmonicexperience

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[aldebarankanon]

Is it me or is that dude high/drunk???

[bahramf]

@JDMusicTuition Music might even take up profound subjects, but how it could give any insight into these subjects is just mysterious. It has been for a long time. I'm surprised you think it so obviously can. Go write a paper or something and let me know how it's received.

[bahramf]

@JDMusicTuition The relationship of math to nature is profound. The question is how music can illustrate something profound or even represent math+nature at all.

[bahramf]

@DarkwingScooter It's not an argument. I'm not pretending. Also, that literature can be profound is not a contested claim. That's not false.

[bahramf]

@JDMusicTuition It's not a precise definition, but everyone knows math is not profound. 

[bahramf]

@JDMusicTuition It doesn't though and you haven't demonstrated how it could or does.

[JDMusicTuition]

@bahramf Your definition is also needlessly restrictive, the "for example" effectively acts as an "et cetera", expecting the reader to fill the domain covered by the concept.

This will not do when you are trying to delimit the concept. Could I, for example, substitute "the relationship of math to nature" into your definition instead of "freedom"?

These satisfy your criteria as "issues which affects human experience..."

(notice the usage of examples and etc. is correct here)

[JDMusicTuition]

@bahramf "The proof is very simple."

That's not a proof, that's a definition, and a non-circular one to boot. We are making progress.

This does not in and of itself exclusionary of music, since music also "deals with" subjects like freedom or determinism, albeit in a different way, as I have demonstrated. You need to clarify what it is in the way that language "deals with" these things which is special.

Surely you don't claim that the language ITSELF has this kind of referent?

[bahramf]

@JDMusicTuition The proof is very simple. Literature (not just language) deals with subjects like freedom/determinism, for example. That is profound b/c freedom/determinism is an issue which effects human experience and a question we have always had since the very beginning of civilization.

[JDMusicTuition]

@bahramf "It illustrates, represents or directly says something profound."

So what? Music does NOT do this?

How does language illustrate profundity. Come on, you are making a positive claim here, you can't just expect me to believe it when that is precisely the basis you have for denying my claim.

If you want me to believe that language represents profundity you will have to prove it in a non-circular fashion, I'm still waiting for that proof.