How Music Conveys Meaning
This article refutes the centuries-old view that music (like all the arts) is a purely subjective field, impervious to reason. Combining a bit of traditional music theory, Objectivist epistemology, and my own independent thinking, I argue against experts who claim that music means nothing. I demonstrate how the basic elements of music (melody, harmony, and rhythm)—purely perceptual data—“denote” objective concepts to the listener, “connote” associated ideas and images, trigger evaluations, and result in emotions. In the recorded version I illustrate this at the piano with a few well-known pieces of music and some of my own original work.
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