Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Response for 10-12-11
It seems to me that Hanslick looks at the connection between music and emotion in two parts. The first part is a purely visceral connection, whereas the second is more intellectual. At the bottom of page 54, there is a quote that stuck out to me: "It is not because it is dance music that it lifts the foot; rather, it is because it lifts the foot that it is dance music." This implies that humans react somewhat unconsciously or instinctively to music, regardless of their knowledge of music theory. Later on, when he talks about music theory and composition, Hanslick essentially says that a person can only understand and appreciate their emotional reactions to music if they equally understand and appreciate music theory.
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I agree that Hanslick believes that people can only get the maximum satisfaction from music if they understand the composer's form (i.e.: the score). But, Hanslick doesn't dispute the fact that music can create emotions in "ordinary" people, but to a lesser degree than those that understand music theory. I personally believe that this is ridiculous. I think all people, no matter their music knowledge, can be strongly affected by music.
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