Davies’ definition and Levitin’s are similar. They believe that what is considered “music” is only what is practical. A humanly inaudible composition is clearly looked at skeptically by Davies. Cage’s 4’33” itself is hinted at as “performance art” by him. Clearly, Davies is not open to the idea of such works being portrayed as music.
Levitin’s approach is more logical. He seems to want to claim it as music but can’t find a proper definition of music to deem it included or excluded. He wrote of what makes music distinguishable. He claims that music is a connection to human emotion. I conclude that Levitin open-mindedly submits to his inability to prove 4’33” to be music.
At what point then, are sound waves (and/or a lack thereof) considered music? If Cage claims it to be music, does this decree label it as such? If so, could Davies contest this label? In either case, music would then be defined by human interpretation. Is music then defined as music subject to each individual’s opinion? I believe we may have no control over what is and is not music. We are, in a sense, each enslaved to a unique experience consisting of soundscapes both natural and man-made. All sound yields a connection through at least vibration. All of life is music, 4’33” being another contribution to how we experience life and music.
No comments:
Post a Comment