On Jul 3, 2011, at 1:12 AM, howard posner wrote:
As far as I can follow it (and following it isn't easy) this entire discussion about "self-expression" suffers from terminal vagueness. What exactly are we talking about?...A discussion of this sort really needs carefully defined terms or it becomes, literally, nonsense.
I think this definition of "intellectuals" is relevant here: "intellectuals are people who study what other people do naturally."
Having said that I have to say that in a general public sense, music is used as an overlay, designed to hide embarrassing emotions from view, in favor of celebrating some socially-acceptible form of public expression, as in all forms of ceremonial music.
The term "self expression" can refer to the phenomenon of taking a bunch of notes and makng "music" out of them. Some musicians can do that, and some can't. Some have no concept of that: some are simply disinterested in it. I've sat through many concerts, wondering all the way to the end of a performance, when the music was going to start.
The first time I ever really heard music come out of my lute was the first time I ever sat down for a lesson with Paul O'Dette back in the day. He wanted to demonstrate something, and took my student lute and started playing it. Out of that crappy old cheap lute came real music! So, in that sense, "self-expression" is the making of something intangible and unquantifiable out of tangible and quantifiable inanimate matter. I do not believe that art is merely a by-product of the craft of noteplaying. To me, music is the art of noteplaying. And yes, for its own sake.
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