If artists are well-advised never to read their reviews, from them the rest of us stand to benefit—in theory. Often speechless about the music that I love, and wanting to acquire some useful vocabulary, I took my spade to the lush fields of criticism grown up around R.E.M.’s 1998 album
with some songs, particularly PJ Harvey's Joe, i let go of my will and let the music move me. it flings me around my living room, maybe like a Dionysian dithyramb: i sure am ecstatic in those moments! Dithyrambs as historical events also evidence, i think, the possibility of losing oneself in music.
and, i'd agree with the part in your post where someone, Bob Dylan? denies the importance of lyrics. half the time I cannot pick the words of a song, so they take up the meaning i give to them as i'm experiencing the music (and lyrics), the song.
And, supposedly a minor chord (a C minor) is a sad chord. But is that a value that is subjective or some fact about music?
Re minor chords, I wish I knew! A job for the psychologists. But certainly minor chords can be used for negative emotions other than sadness (I wouldn't call the first part of Mozart's Requiem "sad").
Wow, I love this. I'm fascinated by the idea of music for "management of the self," and by the way we might sometimes feel that a song itself understands us, or puts voice to feelings we couldn't yet name. The way someone might make us a playlist in the hopes that listening will help us know them better. And somehow, with careful listening, we might.
The playlist--that's worth thinking about more. "Song as the communication of the self to another" is something different, though clearly related to, one's own private management of one's own self. That's an idea that goes beyond what I wrote.
with some songs, particularly PJ Harvey's Joe, i let go of my will and let the music move me. it flings me around my living room, maybe like a Dionysian dithyramb: i sure am ecstatic in those moments! Dithyrambs as historical events also evidence, i think, the possibility of losing oneself in music.
and, i'd agree with the part in your post where someone, Bob Dylan? denies the importance of lyrics. half the time I cannot pick the words of a song, so they take up the meaning i give to them as i'm experiencing the music (and lyrics), the song.
And, supposedly a minor chord (a C minor) is a sad chord. But is that a value that is subjective or some fact about music?
PS PJ Harvey is a great example.
Re minor chords, I wish I knew! A job for the psychologists. But certainly minor chords can be used for negative emotions other than sadness (I wouldn't call the first part of Mozart's Requiem "sad").
I’ll have to have another listen
Wow, I love this. I'm fascinated by the idea of music for "management of the self," and by the way we might sometimes feel that a song itself understands us, or puts voice to feelings we couldn't yet name. The way someone might make us a playlist in the hopes that listening will help us know them better. And somehow, with careful listening, we might.
The playlist--that's worth thinking about more. "Song as the communication of the self to another" is something different, though clearly related to, one's own private management of one's own self. That's an idea that goes beyond what I wrote.