Whats absolute music meaning?
: instrumental music independent of the objective suggestion of title, text, or program and dependent on structure alone for its subjective comprehension.
What is an example of absolute music?
It is considered to be music for music's sake. Examples of absolute music include Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven, and Symphony No. 3 in F Major by Johannes Brahms.
What does absolute music sound like?
Absolute music - music that has NO extra-musical idea to go along with it. It is music for its own sake, with the composer giving you NO hint as to what it might be depicting.
What is absolute or pure music?
, abstract music, pure music - Absolute music (abstract music, pure music) is music for its own sake—concerned only with structure, melody, harmony, and rhythm.
What is the most important element in absolute music?
Form is the most important organizing element in absolute music, which has no specific pictorial or literary program. Many masterworks of instrumental music are in a standard multimovement cycle of three or four movements; these include the Classic-era symphony, sonata, string quartet, and concerto.
Who composed absolute music?
The term “absolute music” was first used by the composer Richard Wagner in a programme to Beethoven's famous Ninth Symphony.
What is the opposite of absolute music?
Absolute music: Music free of extramusical associations, usually thought of as the opposite of “program music,” where the music describes something, a scene or a poem.
Is there such a thing as absolute music?
Instrumental music that lacks a title, program, and any other extra-musical element is often cited as a form of absolute music, a famous example of which is Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Which of the following are types of absolute music?
Absolute music typically is identified not by a descriptive title but by the name of a musical form, such as symphony, sonata, quartet, concerto, invention, toccata, or fugue. In its orchestration instruments are chosen to play notes in their "comfortable" range.
What is the highest quality of music?
Both WAV files and AIFF files represent the highest quality possible in the audio world – they are the files of choice for any mixing or mastering engineer looking to retain the highest quality possible. AIFF files were developed by Apple but also play on the Window's OS.
What is absolute music quizlet?
Absolute Music. instrumental music having no intended association with a story, poem, idea, or scene (supporters Brahms and Joachim)
What are the 5 example of music?
Popular Music GenresBlues Music.Jazz Music.Rhythm and Blues Music.Rock and Roll Music.Rock Music.Country Music.Soul Music.Dance Music.More items...
Which of the following are types of absolute music?
Absolute music typically is identified not by a descriptive title but by the name of a musical form, such as symphony, sonata, quartet, concerto, invention, toccata, or fugue. In its orchestration instruments are chosen to play notes in their "comfortable" range.
Is there such a thing as absolute music?
Instrumental music that lacks a title, program, and any other extra-musical element is often cited as a form of absolute music, a famous example of which is Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Is Moonlight Sonata absolute music?
Any piece of music without a programmatic title is absolute music — kind of. We must be careful here because program music was popular enough during the 19th Century that musicologists started giving previous pieces of music, which had no program, a program. The most prestigious example is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
What is an example of absolute music?
Absolute music is a kind of music that has no subject. It is considered to be music for music's sake. Examples of absolute music include Chromatic...
Who is associated with absolute music?
Three of the most influential composers associated with absolute music are Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johannes Brahms. Althou...
What is the difference between program and absolute music?
Both program and absolute music are instrumental. Program music draws inspiration from something non-musical: usually art, nature, or personal expe...
What is the concept that a composition’s meaning is entirely determined by its form?
Related to absolute music is formalism, which is the concept that a composition’s meaning is entirely determined by its form.
What is program music?
Program music is music that is about something. For example, in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, each concerti evokes one of the seasons of the year, whilst in the Romantic period numerous pieces were written in response to poems, pieces of visual art or plays, such as Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. In contrast to this, absolute music (which is also ...
What does the title of Bach's music mean?
However, the title of most instrumental music by Bach and his contemporaries would simply indicate the key and what type of piece it was, with no further indication of what might have inspired it.
Why does the School of Thought reject opera?
This rather strict school of thought rejects opera, tone poems and songs, because they all contain extra-musical elements.
Why is instrumental music superior to other forms of art?
They suggested that instrumental music is superior to other art forms because unlike, say, a novel or play, it can avoid the influence of worldly, tangible things. Without words, characters, plot lines, or obvious meaning, music can actually be more powerful, they argued.
Which movement did Beethoven add choir and lyrics?
While the Spiritual Absolutists had earlier praised Beethoven for his “pure” instrumental music, Wagner now celebrated the fact that Beethoven had added choir and lyrics in the fourth and final movement, seeing this as proof that the symphony as a form of absolute music was dead.
Which Baroque composers were programmatic?
In the Baroque period there were a few pieces that could be considered to contain programmatic content, like Vivaldi’s aforementioned The Four Seasons and J.S. Bach’s “Capriccio on the Departure of his Beloved Brother”, which laments the composer’s brother’s decision to move to Sweden.
What is the subject of Bach's Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor?
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor is one of Bach's masterpieces of early absolute music. Composed approximately between 1717 and 1723 for the harpsichord, it is based on the repetition of chords on a chromatic scale. In this piece, Bach used these chromatic chords to create a captivating composition, but let me ask you: what is the subject? The title gives us no clues as both chromatic fantasia and fugue are genres of music, not subjects. Although Bach technically predates the formal debate on absolute music, he was already anticipating that movement by composing songs that rejected the pretense of a subject so that the listener could focus only on the technical aspects of the composition.
Why is Beethoven's 5th symphony exemplary of Romantic absolute music?
To explore the role of music without subject, Beethoven focused on the Romantic interest of intangible emotions.
Why was music important in the 19th century?
Music was the ideal medium for Romantic ideas of the emotional value of art without being tied to tangible, physical context. Johann Sebastian Bach was an early proponent of this concept, but Romantic composers like Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms mastered compositions that were emotional, sublime experiences, meaning an ephemeral trait of awe and reverence in the face of something terrifying in its power and grandeur. The result is music that is more than just exciting—it's an absolute experience.
What did Beethoven focus on in his music?
To explore the role of music without subject, Beethoven focused on the Romantic interest of intangible emotions. Romantic artists especially favored the concept of the sublime, meaning an ephemeral trait of awe and reverence in the face of something terrifying in its power and grandeur.
Why did Romantic artists stop composing works based on a subject?
While Romantic painters sought to distance themselves from tradition, they still were tied to the physical world they represented. Music was different. As an auditory art, music was not inherently connected to the visual world and was, therefore, a perfect medium for exploring abstraction in art. Romantic musicians stopped composing works based on a subject (like the plot of an opera) and started making music that was to be enjoyed on its own, without other distractions. That was the birth of absolute music as we know it.
What is the sublime in music?
It is dramatic, powerful, and awe-inspiring. It is the sublime in music. That's what Beethoven was after. An ineffable concept like the sublime could not be represented with a subject. An absolute composition like this is about the feeling, the emotion, nothing physical or tangible.
Which composer created absolute music?
Let's start with a work by the German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach worked primarily in the 18th century, which means he predates the Romantic era. However, we can see the foundations of absolute music in his work. Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor is one of Bach's masterpieces of early absolute music.
What did Bohlman argue about music?
Bohlman has gone on to argue that the use of music, e.g. among the Jewish diaspora, was in fact a form of identity building .
What is the definition of formalist music?
Formalist debate. Formalism is the concept of music for music's sake and refers to instrumental music. In this respect, music has no extra-musical meaning at all and is enjoyed by appreciation of its formal structure and technical construction.
What does Wittgenstein mean by musical meaning?
Linguistic meaning. On the topic of musical meaning, Wittgenstein, at several points in his late diary Culture and Value, ascribes meaning to music, for instance, that in the finale, a conclusion is being drawn, e.g.:
What is double sided autonomy?
Once it has been brought into sustainable connection with a structure of prejudgment, music simply becomes meaningful.". Music which appears to demand an interpretation, but is abstract enough to warrant objectivity (e.g. Tchaikovsky 's 6th Symphony), is what Lydia Goehr refers to as 'double-sided autonomy'.
Why is music considered the highest art?
Johann Gottfried Herder, in contrast, regarded music as the highest of the arts because of its spirituality, which Herder attributed to the invisibility of sound. The ensuing arguments among musicians, composers, music historians and critics have, in effect, never stopped.
What does Lawrence Kramer believe about music?
Lawrence Kramer, on the other hand, believes music has no means to reserve a "specific layer or pocket for meaning.
What is absolute music?
Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly "about" anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.
Definition of absolute music
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First Known Use of absolute music
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Why is absolute music considered a good musical analysis?
Absolute music is often considered a better option for close musical analysis because it is not tied to any kind of story or visual frame of reference. Classical musicians frequently listen to recordings of this genre to gain a better understanding of the composers’ techniques and to research ways to improve their own performances. Some casual listeners enjoy this type of music because the complex arrangements of harmonies and melodies can be mentally stimulating. Frédéric Chopin’s Waltz in D flat, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Flutes, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B flat major are all examples of absolute music.
What is absolute music?
Absolute music is a type of abstract music that is not written with the intention of telling a story or painting a mental image for the listener. Its composers generally intend for each piece’s structure to stand alone without any additional associations. Absolute music’s melodies and harmonies aren’t usually tied to any specific emotional reactions or interpretations, so listeners are free to associate each piece with their own feelings, thoughts, and mental images. Instrumental scores without lyrics make up this genre of music, though instrumental music pieces are not always absolute expressions of the composer’s ideas.
What are some examples of absolute music?
One example of absolute music might be the compositions of the Second Viennese School that was pioneered by the composers Schöenberg, Berg, and Webern. Serialism was a method of composition that Arnold Schöenberg developed having found himself increasingly dissatisfied with the limits, as he saw them, of tonality.
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What is absolute music?
More specifically, absolute music is usually thought of as music that stands on its own two musical feet without the need for a storyline to hang its notes onto.
What is program music?
There are many different kinds of music that are composed of a wide variety of forms and structures. Music that is often associated with a particular narrative or even image falls under the broad heading of ‘program music’ or music that has programmatic elements.
What music was popular during the Baroque era?
During the Baroque era, we come across even more well-known programmatic music including Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’,
What did Wagner think of Stravinsky's idea of "Music by its very nature is incapable of expressing anything?
Wagner felt that was an absurd idea, although Stravinsky is famously credited with saying that “Music by its very nature is incapable of expressing anything.”. Applying this idea of Stravinsky’s could we consider a Mozart Piano Concerto or a Bach Brandenburg Concerto to have no meaning and be absolute.
Which composer contributed to programmatic music?
Beethoven who spans the Classical and Romantic periods of music can surely be counted as a composer who contributed to programmatic music. Even though there are as many arguments against a purely programmatic structure to his ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, the ‘Eroica’ or possibly the third ‘ Leonore’ overture.
History and Instrumental vs. Vocal Music
- By definition, virtually all absolute music is instrumental, rather than vocal. Vocal music almost always has words that of course are about something, whether that be in the case of a religious hymn or a song about romantic love. Up until the Romantic period, most instrumental music was absolute, although it was not until the 19th Century that it ...
“Spiritual Absolutism”
- People started to discuss these ideas more philosophically towards the end of the 18th Century, and a group of German writers and thinkers, including Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Jean Paul Richter and E.T.A. Hoffmann, put forward the idea of “spiritual absolutism.” They suggested that instrumental music is superior to other art forms because unlike, say, a nov…
Formalism
- Related to absolute music is formalism, which is the concept that a composition’s meaning is entirely determined by its form. It advocates for music for music’s sake, and the idea that music has no extra-musical meaning and is to be appreciated for its formal structure and technical construction alone. This rather strict school of thought rejects opera, tone poems and songs, bec…
Richard Wagner and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
- The term “absolute music” was first used by the composer Richard Wagner in a programme to Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony. While the Spiritual Absolutists had earlier praised Beethoven for his “pure” instrumental music, Wagner now celebrated the fact that Beethoven had added choir and lyrics in the fourth and final movement, seeing this as proof that the symphony …
Blurred Lines
- There are some pieces that blur the lines between absolute and program music. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, also known as the Pathétique Symphony, was premiered just nine days before the composer’s mysterious death. Tchaikovsky allegedly wrote the mournful piece with programmatic elements in mind but would not reveal what they were, and it has also been sugg…
The 20th Century
- Some modernist 20th Century music, which rejected traditional tonal harmony, can be understood as absolute music. The Second Viennese School composers – Schöenberg, Berg, and Webern – pioneered serialism and abstraction, resulting in work that was highly logical but often dissonant and challenging. Later composers like Elliot Carter and Milton Babbitt used mathematical princip…
Summary
- The question of absolute music versus music that uses programmatic content makes for a fascinating debate. Some critics and musicians have argued that notes and rhythms cannot have concrete meaning, and that music is at its best when it is heard simply as abstract sound. Others, like Richard Wagner, have advocated for overt meaning in music, and for the fusion of music wit…
Overview
Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly 'about' anything; in contrast to program music, it is non-representational. The idea of absolute music developed at the end of the 18th century in the writings of authors of early German Romanticism, such as Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder, Ludwig Tieck and E. T. A. Hoffmann but the term was not coined until 1846 where it was first used by Richard Wagner in a programme to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Romantic debate
A group of Romantics consisting of Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Jean Paul Richter and E.T.A. Hoffmann gave rise to the idea of what can be labeled as "spiritual absolutism". In this respect, instrumental music transcends other arts and languages to become the discourse of a 'higher realm', an idea expressed in Hoffmann’s review of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, published in 1813. These thinkers believed that music could be more emotionally powerful and s…
Formalist debate
Formalism is the concept of music for music's sake, or that music's 'meaning' is entirely in its form. In this respect, music has no extra-musical meaning at all and is enjoyed by appreciation of its formal structure and technical construction. The 19th century music critic Eduard Hanslick argued that music could be enjoyed as pure sound and form, and that it needed no connotation of extra-musical elements to warrant its existence. He argued that in fact, these extra-musical ideas and …
Contemporary views
Today, the debate continues over whether music has, or ought to have, extramusical meaning or not. However, most contemporary views , reflecting ideas emerging from views of subjectivity in linguistic meaning arising in cognitive linguistics, as well as Kuhn's work on cultural biases in science and other ideas on meaning and aesthetics (e.g. Wittgenstein on cultural constructions in thought and language ), appear to be moving towards a consensus that music provides at least …
See also
• Abstract art § Music
• Art music
• Gebrauchsmusik
• Impressionist music
• Musique concrète ("Concrete music")
Further reading
• Chua, Daniel Absolute Music and the Construction of Meaning (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
• Cook, Nicholas Music: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 1998)
• Dahlhaus, Carl The Idea of Absolute Music trans. by Roger Lustig (Chicago/London 1989; orig. Kassel, 1978)