Yesterday we mentioned that when a Christian musician wrongly assumes that music is unable to communicate, he or she will also wrongly assume that the music part of music doesn’t matter because it is benign. This erroneous assumption seems to be most often purported by Christian musicians. Perhaps they make this assumption in a feeble attempt to make the end justify the means in their philosophy and praxis.
I have been reading quotes by rock, jazz, country and pop musicians and they are very strong in their belief that music communicates in very effective ways to the listener. I have not read a single quote from a pop, rock, country or jazz musician that would even slightly hint that music does not have power or the ability to communicate a message to the listener.
From ancient to modern times, music philosophers have believed in general that “the mode made the difference” when it comes to musicing and listening. However, modern man has not been unified in his beliefs about the nature, value and communicating power of music. Because music philosophers disagreed about how and what music communicates, they divided into referentialist and non-referentialist camps.
Then the matter was further complicated by the advent of the symbolist philosophers who basically believe that music’s symbols communicate in their own little “bubble” which does not relate to life outside of music’s little world. Although it is evident that I do not buy this philosophical theory, I do admit that they are probably right in their belief that music does have and does communicate symbols to the performer and the auditor. However, I do not concur with the mainstream symbolists in their belief that music’s symbols do not relate to life outside of music’s little bubble which they refer to as a closed system.
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