What's the goal of music?

Does the existence of music has any partucular goal or goals?

Does the existence of music has any particular goal or goals?

And you ask this because?

Nope, it's completely pointless. And that's the beauty of it.

I like to think my music has a point.

My intent is to simply provoke a reaction. That's all, really.

...

I like to try to express something with my music, get an emotion across

As I do with my drawings and painting

I like to try to express something with my music, get an emotion across...As I do with my drawings and painting

HAHAHA....silly Will. Painting's not art! There's no spirit. Duh!

HAHAHA....silly Will. Painting's not art! There's no spirit. Duh!

That's why I said it, echoing his calls of ignorance and stupidity

Glad you got the point :D

EDIT: I'm starting to think I should've said to Saul that music exists to make idiots like him contradict themselves and prove their ignorance. But I decided not to since I'm not that immature

That's why I said it, echoing his calls of ignorance and stupidity

Glad you got the point :D

EDIT: I'm starting to think I should've said to Saul that music exists to make idiots like him contradict themselves and prove their ignorance. But I decided not to since I'm not that immature

haha. There ya go. :D

Anders: I agree with that. Music is totally pointless. It's here to make us happy. And in making ourselves happy, we can make other people happy.

...Music is totally pointless. It's here to make us happy. And in making ourselves happy, we can make other people happy.

Is that not a point? How is it pointless if the point (as you put it) is to make us and others happy??

No...not another pseudo-philosophical thread! Arghhhhh!

communication

communication

what?

communication

Yeah...please explain. I know, personally, I'm not trying to communicate anything. I want the listener to find something important to them in my music, not to force my own meaning on them. (Oh no!! Not this again!)

by the way, the "what" was a teasing joke... imagine an old fogey cupping his hand to his ear because he's half deaf...

In all honesty, I never really stop to think about WHY I compose, so I guess I don't think about any "goal" for music in general. Music is such a sensual thing, I think it's really just pure sensual pleasure/

I think I have hopes and aspirations for my music... goals, I don't know. I'd LIKE for people to feel something when they listen to my music. Not necessarily something in particular. I can't say that I have particularly definite feelings when I listen to music, myself, so why expect it of others.

I DO know that I rather like that <sudden intake of air> feeling, that rapid breathe in, when you hear something or feel something that moves you. It's like halfway between a shiver and a sob, without meaning it's sad nor happy... it's just a physical reaction to something not-quite physical. Almost like when you're driving along and your car goes over a tiny hill, and you get that "falling" feeling in the pit of your stomache... you breathe in.

I guess I want people to feel that at times when they listen to my music.

by the way, the "what" was a teasing joke... imagine an old fogey cupping his hand to his ear because he's half deaf...

Oops...I get it now. :blush:

...

communication

Communication via music is impossible.

Why?

Because music is not a language. Any communication that occurs is dependent on the listener's cultural heritage.

Communication via music is impossible.

Why?

(1) Because music is not a language. (2) Any communication that occurs is dependent on the listener's cultural heritage.

I believe you err on two points:

1. communication doesn't have to be verbal

2. nor does it have to be universal

one can communicate anger without speaking the same language as the intended audience.

granted, if one tried to do so with music, there would still be the risk of miscommunication.

as a matter of fact, even language itself is imperfect as a communication tool.

"I was watching the dog with a cat"

was I watching a dog interacting with a cat?

was I in the company of a cat while I watched the dog?

was I using a cat as an implement with which to watch the dog?

granted, that last one, while amusing as a concept, is mildly illogical...

I could restate the same situation as "I was watching the man with the binoculars"

I believe you err on two points:

1. communication doesn't have to be verbal

"[/i]

I agree with that statement..

I think that music is a great universal language that is understood by the human soul. Thus music can bring peoples together from all background and cultures to achieve unity and understanding. I also think that this is in fact one of music's goals. To bring harmony and unity amongst the people of the world.

Basically, nothing is true and everything is meaningless. All I know is that I love music, listening to it, writing it, reading about it and talking about, so I will continue doing just that.

That is its point for me :blush:.

To inspire emotion, to seize the imagination, to provoke thought.

Basically, nothing is true and everything is meaningless. All I know is that I love music, listening to it, writing it, reading about it and talking about, so I will continue doing just that.

That is its point for me :blush:.

Yep, that basically sums it up for me as well.

I read in a book written by Copland. He says when a composer composes, he doesn't give listeners emotion, he gives the listeners a part of himself.

And I agree.. :)

Well language (with 1 word) didn't help here a lot :D hihi.

Communication, yes sirs and madames!

I will not state my account number through music of course, I can always call and tell them that in order to setup a direct debit, or charge my card.

I will neither attempt to answer a series of yes/no questions through music.

But I could, potentially, perfectly asnwer the question "what is the goal of music" (in a personal sense of course), through my music. :D

I give a part of myself everytime I write music, and this IS called communication. The fact that it may not work always or with everyone, is of little interest to me (although I do strive for general acknolegement of course, I love being popular :D). If 1 person understands what I'm talking about, or get a sense of what the music is about then I did my job correctly! If none person exists then I didn't do my job right!

I do remember in 1999 that I wrote my first piece with a very exact form, very hard work, and extensive use of the golden ratio idea. The piece in the end turned out a tad crap, but still at one point my father in law (not yet married at that time with his daughter, mind you), heard my piece and immediately told me that he got a great sense of architecture from that piece. A sense of where we start, where we go and where we end.

Well the piece was called "continuity" and it was all about architecture in form and a continuous piece of music totally coherent! I was immensly glad that someone told me about the architecture of the piece on the first listen! I was exstatic tbh! I might as well post it somewhere... (I don't like it anymore, btw, I find it quite ugly! but still for educational purposes, it might be worth...)

If you go in a concert, or listen a CD, or play again, or anything really, and you get out having a 0.00001% different ideas, or something new in your head, or even a sense of enjoynement because you watched Spiderman3 (entertainment then), it is because something was "give to you". You communicated, one way most usually, except on the case of games, but still. When you play tennis, don't you communicate with your partner?

something like that, anyways...

And of course there is no universal communication, as QC said. No way one could put Beethove in a tribe in Africa and get the same reaction that an old lady of 80 years old in austria gives. :)

It's something to do in between masturbation/fornication. Or at least that's something Shaver would say, I think.

Seriously though, it's something I do not wish to know - cause I think it's the mystery that surrounds this spontaneous impulse that keeps me interested in it. At the same time, there's that desire to know, from all this existentialism/transcendentialism and whatnot. So hmm.

I read in a book written by Copland. He says when a composer composes, he doesn't give listeners emotion, he gives the listeners a part of himself.

And I agree.. :P

That's why he was so thin. He had lots of listeners.