Music is Analogous to Language-part 1

 

Music is Analogous to Language-part 1

Although there is a host of music philosophers who believe that music is incapable of communicating any real life meaning, many musicians and music philosophers have been over the centuries and are currently so convinced that music communicates real life meaning that some of them consider music to be a “language”.  Others have considered it to be a language of emotions.  I consider music to be analogous to but not completely synonymous with spoken and written language.  Although what music communicates is somewhat like what a spoken or written language communicates, the theory that they are exactly alike breaks down when considered in its entirety.  The music part of music cannot say, “It is twenty degrees outside today, so wear a coat.”  So, one must concede that instrumental music performed alone is not capable of communicating real life meaning with the specificity of a written language.  However, that does not mean that the music part of music does not communicate understandable meaning that is relative to real life understanding.