Music Thinkers Definitions

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a universal language to the highest degree, that is, universalities which are without material or body and are pure form.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an operation of self-erasure and effervescence allowing sense to emerge. He writes, 'every, truthful, every original music is a swansong,'.

Music (n.) should ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be cheerful and profound like an afternoon in october.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that wherein the passions enjoy themselves.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠credited with the power of discharging the violent emotions, and etymology, 'melos' (in melody) is a tranquilizer, not because it is tranquil itself but because its aftereffects make one tranquil.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠far better than the idea at reaching men's ears and hearts, for any seedling of a doctrine, to become a tree, has to be believed for a long while as irrefutable, and only music is capable of seducing men to every error and every truth in such a way.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠capable of seducing men to every error and every truth, for who could refute a tone?

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a total excitement and a total discharge of the affects, but even so only the remnant of a much fuller world of expression of the affects, a mere residue of the Dionysian histrionicism.

Music (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the German masters is right feeling made audible, the enemy of all convention — a return to nature that is also nature transformed in love.

Music (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its true form perhaps resounded because mankind deserved it least but needed it most — the greater existing for the sake of the less.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the immediate language of feeling; its ancient marriage to poetry deposited so much symbolism in it that we only suppose it speaks from and to the inner world.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in itself never profound — it does not speak of the 'will' or the 'thing in itself'; the intellect put that significance into sounds, as it put meaning into the lines of architecture.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the late fruit of every culture — it arrives in its autumn, often like the language of a vanished age; all truly meaningful music is swan-song.

Music (n.) performed ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in the tragic-dramatic mode imitates the Christian great sinner — brooding, tormented, pleading — and applies it to all music: 'For Heaven's sake, however did sin get into music!'

Music (n.) thrives ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠where people cannot or may not talk: under princes who want little thought, repressed societies, solitary nations — the voluble Greeks used it only as seasoning; the Pythagoreans invented the five-year silence, not dialectics.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no luxury — without music, life would be a mistake.

Music (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a kind of fertility — making music is another way of making children; chastity is merely the economy of an artist.

Music (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not reveal the essence of the world, as Schopenhauer claimed — it only reveals our dear musicians, who don't even know it.