Universitt Potsdam

Philosophische Fakultt
Institut fr Anglistik und Amerikanistik
Wittgenstein for Linguists
WiSe 2!"#!$
%o&ent' (ar) Lovan
ABOUT THE ATTEMPT TO DEFINE MUSIC
*irk *ud+eis
,atrikelnummer' -.-22
/ud+eis0uni1potsdam2de
A/ga/edatum' 232"22!$
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4he idea of defining +hat one is dealing +ith at a certain point in time is prevalent in most of
the so1called 5hard sciences5 6i2e2 mathematics7 ph)sics etc282 It is also often used in the
humanities and social sciences2 9ne special case of a science +hich uses definitions is
philosoph)7 since ver) often the motivation /ehind defining things is not /eing a/le to +rite
or talk a/out a certain su/:ect +ithout misunderstandings as to +hat the su/:ect is e;actl)2
<ather7 philosophical definitions often seek to descri/e the /asic or essential features of a
phenomenon2 =o+ever7 this practice is not unpro/lematic7 as +ill /e sho+n hereafter using
the e;ample of music2 A fe+ attempts at a definition thereof7 as +ell the pro/lems +ith these
attempts7 +ill /e discussed2 It is argued that the kind of 6partial8 definition
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attempted in these
e;amples remains unsuita/le to the task of understanding +hat music is and that a
Wittgensteinian perspective on such a definition might /e /etter at said task2
We can assume +ith relative safet) that most people /elieve the) kno+ +hat music is2
9ur ever)da) conception thereof seems to rel) on the 6perceived8 facts that music is not onl)
u/i>uitous in +estern societ) ? think a/out shopping malls or melodies pla)ed through the
telephone +hile +aiting for an availa/le call centre emplo)ee2 We also usuall) assume that
music is a phenomenon found ever)+here in the +orld2 If +e came to a strange countr)7 or
perhaps even an unkno+n civilisation 6perhaps even on a foreign planet8 and heard
something that sounded like it could /e music7 +e surel) +ould /elieve it to /e :ust that2 4his
sho+s :ust ho+ much +e take the concept of music for granted2 It is so self1evident to us that
+e do not deem it necessar) to thoroughl) think it through2
@er) similar to ever)da) life7 people +ho deal +ith music professionall) do not often
concern themselves +ith defining music as such2 In our culture there is consensus that music
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4he kind of definition meant here is that +hich enumerates criteria7 or necessar) and#or sufficient conditions
in order to define e;actl) +hat is and +hat is not music2
2
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in general is to /e seen as art2 4his usuall) includes popular and art music alike7 although
there might 6have /een8 de/ate a/out the this2 In contrast to the concept of art as a +hole7 and
especiall) to those /ranches of it +hose products are visi/le7 ho+ever7 music is not usuall)
the area of great discussions in terms of +hat /elongs into this categor) and +hat does not2
Aven those +ho contend that popular music does not /elong to the realm of 5proper art57 +ill
most likel) still regard it as music2 <eal discussion a/out +hat music is or is not mostl) onl)
arises +hen there is something +hich might /e called a de/ata/le or /orderline case2 4hese
cases arise ever) no+ and then and the) are the instances in +hich the potential to /e a /asis
for 6at least a partial8 a definition of music is seen2 Some of these attempted definitions shall
/e considered in the follo+ing2
A num/er of rather conservative definitions have /een +ritten +hich are /ased mostl)
on Western concepts of music and thinking a/out music2 4here is7 for e;ample7 a definition of
music /) Irving (odt
2
2 =e calls his take on the su/:ect B,usic' a practical definitionC and
e;plicitl) states that Bthe definition proposed here is a practical one2 It +ill not satisf) formal
philosophers +ith its retreat from the term 5aesthetic52C 6(odt 2.7 3382 It reads as follo+s'
6!8 Un+anted sound is noise2 628 ,usic is humanl) organised sound7 6"8
organised +ith intent 6$8 into a recognisa/le aesthetic entit) 6.8 as a musical
communication 6D8 directed from a maker 6-8 to a kno+n or unforeseen
listener7 638 pu/licl) through the medium of a performer 6E8 or privatel) /)
a performer as listener2 6!8 As far as I kno+7 ethnologists have never found
a human societ) that does not make music 6i/id2 3$82
4aking a closer look at this definition7 one +ill find certain pitfalls +hich the author did not
manage to evade2 4he most important7 in m) opinion7 /eing his statement7 that music is
2
(odt +as professor of music histor) at the Indiana Universit) of Penns)lvania2
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sound B6.8 as a musical communicationC 6i/id282 Fot onl) does this e;plain music +ith the
+ord 5musical57 an attempt +hich cannot seem too helpful after all2 (odt5s e;planation of +hat
6.8 means complicates matters further /) likening music to language2 B*) 5musical
communication5 I mean a controlled se>uence of sounds +ith a defina/le and ultimatel)
perceiva/le grammarC 6i/id2 3D82 (odt mentions a fe+ e;amples of 5avant garde5 music +hich
are proof to him that that +hich is not created as a 5controlled se>uence of sounds5 cannot /e
music2
Additionall)7 (odt5s definition ma) /e contradicted7 /ecause it is prescriptive7 if not
authoritative2 (odt5s reasoning /ehind his +ish to define music this +a) is found in a short
paragraph a/out dictionaries' C9nce authoritative dictionaries no+ +allo+ in that trend)
descriptive mode2 Feckless editors made this first and most destructive capitulation to
political correctness7 casting the linguistic and literar) pearls of generations /efore
intellectual s+ineC 62.7 3$82 4he reader +ill surel) agree +ith (odt5s contention that Ba
thing is not +hat it is simpl) /ecause people sa) +hat it is2 What the) sa) tells us more a/out
themselves than a/out the thing itselfC 6i/id2 3"82 What this tells the reader a/out (odt
himself ma) /e su/:ect to discussion7 /ut it seems rather likel) that under these circumstances
his definition of music ma) not e;actl) further our understanding of the su/:ect matter7 if it is
also ackno+ledged that (odt himself admits that Bit em/odies a deli/erate /ias to+ard the
music of Western Auropean cultureC 62.7 3382
9ther e;amples of definitions of music are /roader than (odt5s2 In his 2!2 essa) B9n
%efining ,usicC Stephen %avies
"
mentions those /) Gerrold Levinson and Andre+ Hania2 =e
cites Levinson5s definition as follo+s' BSounds temporall) organi&ed /) a person for the
"
%avis is professor of philosoph) at the Universit) of Auckland2
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purpose of enriching or intensif)ing e;perience through active engagement 6e2g27 listening7
dancing7 performing8 +ith the sounds regarded primaril)7 or in significant measure7 as
soundsC2 =e anal)ses it as insufficient7 /ecause Bmusic does not and is not al+a)s intended to
call attention to itselfC 6%avies 2!27 2I"82 =e mentions /aro>ue 4afelmusik as an e;ample of
such music 6cf2 i/id2 "82 4here is no reason to disagree +ith %avies in this respect2 %avies5
conclusion is that BLevinson5s definition seems J222K to /e too narro+ 62!27 $1.82 Again7 the
present author concurs2
4he other definition of music +hich %avies discusses is that of Andre+ Hania'
B,usic is 6!8 an) event intentionall) produced or organi&ed 628 to /e heard and 6"8 either 6a8
to have some /asic musical feature7 such as pitch or rh)thm7 or 6/8 to /e listened to for such
featuresC 62!!7 $382 According to %avies B4he dis:unctive third condition is there to allo+
for avant1garde +orks that lack musical features /ut that are intended to /e approached as if
the) are musicC 62!27 $82 4his definition is defeated /) %avies as Btoo /road7 so the relevant
countere;ample is of nonmusic that it includes2 ,orse code is one such /ecause it plainl)
meets 6!87 6287 and 6"86a8' it is intentionall) produced to /e heard in terms of rh)thmB 6i/id2
.82 Although this +a) of arguing against Hania5s definition includes an interesting definition
of rh)thm7 %avies comes up +ith more e;amples like B the drumming of m) fingers on the
desk as I contemplate +hat to +rite ne;t7 the +ind chimes that hang a/ove m) porchC 6i/id28
to sho+ that it is not suita/le as a definition of music7 /ut that it is too /road2
While %avies discusses different approaches on defining music in the essa) from
+hich I >uoted here7 he does not offer a definition of his o+n 6cf2 2!27 !82 =e did7 ho+ever7
+rite an essa) on one of the de/ata/le or /orderline cases mentioned earlier2 It is called BGohn
Lage5s $5 ""M' Is It ,usicNC2 In this essa) he argues that 4' 33'' is a +ork of art7 /ut not a piece
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of music2 =e rather sees 4' 33'' as a piece of performance art a/out music 6cf2 %avies 2"7
!!12E82 4he piece %avies e;amines has /een a controversial one since its premiOre in !E.2
and ma) serve as a good illustration of ho+ vie+points a/out +hat music is and +hat it is not
can differ e;tremel)2
%avies argues that Lage5s +ork is not music and /ases his argument mainl) on one
point2 Since this point is essentiall) a criterion for defining something as music in general7 it
is also relevant for the present paper2 =e /ases his vie+ on one specific +a) of understanding
4' 33''2 It can /e conceived as a +ork +hich makes the listener attend to the sounds +hich
occur in the non1silence during the performance of the piece2 %avies summari&es his
argument in B9n %efining ,usicC as follo+s'
I have argued 6%avies 2"8 that if music is organi&ed sound7 ho+ever
li/erall) +e construe the notion of organi&ation7 it must /e the case that
some sounds are e;cluded such that7 +ere the) to occur during a
performance7 the) +ould /e am/ient to it2 Lage5s +ork is usuall)
understood as a/sor/ing all the sounds that take place in the performance
period as its contents7 so that none count as am/ient2 In that case7 Lage5s
piece fails the necessary condition for music that I have proposed 62!27 2I
m) emphasis82
4he same kind of argument seems to /e at +ork in %avies5 essa) B,usikalisches
@erstehenC
$
2 Fot onl) does %avies e;clude genuinel) am/ient sounds like Bplappernde
Fach/arn im Pu/likum oder vor/eifahrende Poli&eisirenenC from /eing a part of the music2
=e also adds the BPirpen und Quietschen von *lase/lgen und Pgen der 9rgel JRK7 das
Atmen von Sngern JRK Quietschen7 das auftritt7 +enn sich Finger auf (itarren und anderen
$
Unfortunatel)7 to me this essa) +as onl) availa/le in its (erman translation at the time of +riting2
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Saiteninstrumenten von Fote &u Fote /e+egenC among other sounds to the list of sound
+hich are not B*estandteile des aufgefhrten WerksC 6%avies 2-7 2-82
While especiall) the argument a/out the sounds +hich musicians make +hile pla)ing
music ma) /e su/:ect to de/ate7 it seems more +orth+hile to e;amine +hat e;actl) Lage
intended to do +ith his +ork6s87 since his conception of music is ver) different from %avies57
even though %avies5 ma) onl) consist of one necessar) condition2 In an address called
BA;perimental ,usicC7 Lage characteri&es the music he is tr)ing to make and the /asis of this
music' BFor in this ne+ music nothing takes place /ut sounds' those that are notated and
those that are not2 4hose that are not notated appear in the +ritten music as silences7 opening
the doors of the music to the sounds that happen to /e in the environmentC 6!E.37 !82 %avies5
necessar) condition defeats this conception of music2 Lage on the other hand sees it as a ne+
kind of music7a kind of music +hich does not need nor attempt to meet the criteria set for the
old 6or conventional8 +a) of composing7 making and thinking a/out music2
While %avies sho+s +h) certain t)pes of definitions are not suited7 his o+n
conception of music is de/ata/le7 as can /e seen from Lage5s point of vie+2 I +ant to offer a
Wittgensteinian response to %avies5 argument +h) 4' 33'' is not to /e seen as music2 4he idea
of anal)&ing the +ork and its meaning6s8 from this point of vie+ has alread) /een pursued /)
%aniel =er+it& in his essa) B4he Securit) of the 9/viousC 6!E3382 %avies summari&es
=er+it& as follo+s'
=er+it& 6!E337 !EE"8 holds that the deconstruction of the concept of music
advocated in this approach is incoherent2 =e argues7 and I agree7 that
perception is inherentl) structure1imputing7 so that Lage5s recommendation
that +e should perceive impersonall)7 aconceptuall)7 re:ecting appearances
of organi&ation7 form7 and structure7 loses its grip on the notion of
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perception2 =er+it& offers a Wittgensteinian response to Lage5s radicall)
skeptical JsicK challenge to the standard notion of perception2 Such listening
has meaning onl) +here +e can imagine a form of life in +hich it is lived
out2 Fone is conceiva/le for humans +ho perceive in the manner
recommended /) Lage 62"7 !D82
4he a/ove1mentioned argument7 /ased on the understanding of Lage5s ideas that B+e
might hear in the sounds occurring during a performance of $5 ""M a ne+ kind of music7 one
transcending and deconstructing the categorical distinction dra+n traditionall) /et+een the
musical and nonmusicalC 6%avies 2"7 !.87 might make sense for 4' 33''2 I do not think7
though7 that it can /e held up +hen discussing pieces in the vein of +hat Lage sa)s in
BA;perimental ,usicC a/out Bopening the doors of the music to the sounds that happen to /e
in the environmentC2 ,uch less a/out the sounds occurring +hile musicians perform a piece
of music2
4he relevant argument taken from Wittgenstein5s +orks is to /e found in the
Philosophical Investigations S!E' BAnd to imagine a language means to imagine a form of
lifeC 62E7 !!
e
82 In the present case onl) a part of the language is to /e imagined7 namel) that
part +hich is concerned +ith music
.
2 4herefore it is necessar) first to look at the use of the
+ord music in connection +ith 4' 33''2 If the piece is to /e regarded as music7 this does not
mean that it cannot have different meanings or functions in addition to its /eing music2 It
might for e;ample at the same time /e music and a piece a/out the performance of music2 A
musical parod)7 so to sa)2
*ut +hat a/out a piece +hich onl) consists of those sounds +hichare usuall) am/ient
.
In Wittgenstein5s +ords this +ould /e the 5language game of talking a/out music5 6cf2 2E7 3
e
82
3
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to a musical performanceN Assuming this point of vie+ on Lage5s piece means that one
accepts %avies5 necessar) condition +hich I mentioned earlier2 4he present author contends
that this +ould /e a suita/le starting point for tr)ing to imagine a form of life in +hich pieces
such as 4' 33'' +ould /e considered music2 4he pro/lem one must face is not necessaril) that
+hich %avies sees7 namel) that no form of life Bis conceiva/le for humans +ho perceive in
the manner recommended /) Lage2 For them7 there could /e no a+areness of others or self7
for instanceC 62"7 !D87 if the +ork is seen as +as mentioned a/ove and that position
understood in its 5e;treme form52
4he position must not /e taken to its e;treme form2 It is enough to understand Lage5s
ideas as concerned onl) +ith music2 In a Wittgensteinian sense +hat one is looking at7 +ould
no+ /e the Blanguage gameC of talking a/out music7 +hose rules +ould remain different
from other language games7 e2g2 talking a/out the distinction /et+een the self and others2 4he
>uestion remains +hether a form of life +ould /e conceiva/le +hich al+a)s and under an)
circumstances understands all the kinds of noises happening during a performance of 4' 33''
as music2
D
9ne possi/le +a) of ans+ering this >uestion is to sa)' BTes7 it is possi/le7 /ut
music +ould not mean an)thing other to such than noise2C For such a form of life there +ould
/e no /order at all /et+een music and noise and the concept of music +ould simpl) /ecome
irrelevant2 In conse>uence7 the +ord +ould no longer /e used or simpl) /ecome s)non)mous
+ith 5noise52 ,usic +ould virtuall) /e non1e;istent7 if there +as no difference /et+een
ever)da) noise and music2
4he case of the 5ne+ music5 +hich Lage envisioned in BA;perimental ,usicC is
D
Another possi/ilit) is that people onl) understand said noises as musical during the piece5s performance7
/ecause the) +ere framed /) the circumstances and conse>uentl) gained +hat one might call Bartistic
valueC2 In that case7 ho+ever7 the piece +ould not carr) an) implications concerning people5s understanding
of ever)da) noises in mundane situations2
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different from 4' 33''2 =ere Lage is clearl) stating that the +orks +ould consist of something
+hich ever)/od) can alread) understand as 5music57 even if the) onl) kno+ it in the sense of
6+hat +ould /e called8 5old music52 If pauses and#or silences are integrated into 5old music57
this +ould /e a +a) of creating Lage5s 5ne+ music52 4here is no o/:ective +a) of telling that
such a music could not /e understood /) num/er of people large enough to allo+ us to sa)
that there is a conceiva/le form of life in +hich the +ord music +ould /e used in the sense
descri/ed here2 It is understood that this conception of music is different from that +hich
most people have in mind at the moment2 4hat not render the imagination of such a form of
life impossi/le7 though2
If the point of vie+ +hich +as :ust descri/ed is assumed and it is indeed conceiva/le
that music can /e opened up to ever)da) noise through the use of 5silences5 and#or 5pauses57
there should also /e reconsideration of %avies5 vie+ that the noise occurring +hile music is
/eing made 6scratching on strings7 /reathing of singers etc28 is not part of a musical +ork2
Firstl)7 it must /e understood that to the musician there can /e no music +ithout the
occurrence of such sounds2 4he present author kno+s from e;perience the noises +hich loud
violin pla)ing makes7 although these noises are not 6and should not /e8 audi/le to the listener2
4he >uestion +hich arises here is +hether the noise does then indeed /elong to the pla)ing of
a violin or not2 4o the pla)er it most likel) does7 /ecause some noise is impossi/le to avoid2
,oreover7 I +ant to raise the >uestion +hether composers can reall) /e said to not have
intended the noises to /e part of their +ork2 After all7 the) could certainl) kno+ that the noise
+ould occur2
4he a/ove mentioned arguments hopefull) succeed in sho+ing ho+ futile it is to tr)
and pin do+n the 6partial8 definition of +hat music is and +hat it is not to even one specific
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criterion2 4he pro/lem +ith %avies5 argument is that the /oundar) /et+een 5musical5 and
5am/ient5 sound +ould first have to /e clearl) defined2 Where do the sounds end +hich
/elong to the music and +here do those start +hich do notN
After discussing a fe+ approaches to a definition of music +hich +ere all sho+n7 /)
,r2 %avies and the present author respectivel)7 to /e unsatisfactor) at fulfilling their task7 the
>uestion of ho+ to attempt such a thing remains2 4his might /e the right point in time to look
at the Philosophical Investigations once more2 In SD Wittgenstein starts his investigations
into anal)sed forms of sentences2 =e first deals +ith the e;ample of a /room2 4he relevant
sentence here seems to /e the follo+ing' B4rue7 the /room is taken to pieces +hen one
separates /roomstick and /rushI /ut does it follo+ that the order to /ring the /room also
consists of corresponding partsNC 6Wittgenstein 2E7 "$
e
82 If music is to /e vie+ed in a
similar +a)7 one might ask +hether a person thinks a/out the notes7 the rh)thm7 the tempo
and the am/ient noise +hile listening to music and perceiving it as such2
A /etter +a) to arrive at a definition 6if one can rightfull) call it that8 from a
Wittgensteinian point of vie+ seems to /e searching for it in the vein of S2E2 Since the
concept of music +as once learned /) ever) individual7 though not necessaril) through an
e;planation par e;cellence7 the idea that Bho+ he UtakesV the e;planation sho+s itself in ho+
he uses the +ord e;plainedC 6i/id2 !3
e
8 seems to /e applica/le to music2 Looking at ho+
people use the +ord music is unfortunatel) not possi/le +ithin the /oundaries of this +ork7
though2
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Works Cited
Lage7 Gohn' BA;perimental ,usic2C Website of Seth Kim Cohen. Jkim1cohen2comK2 !E.32
We/2 22 ,arch 2!$2
%avies7 Stephen' BGohn Lage5s 4' 33''' Is it ,usicNC2 Themes in the Philosophy of !sic. Ad2
%avies7 Stephen2 9;ford7 FT' 9;ford Universit) Press7 2"2 !!12E2 Print2
1112 B,usikalisches @erstehenC2 !si"alischer Sinn. #eitr$ge %! einer Philosophie der !si".
Ads2 *ecker7 Ale;ander W @ogel7 ,atthias2 Frankfurt am ,ain' Suhrkamp7 2-2 2. ?
-E2 Print2
1112 B9n %efining ,usicC2 Philosophy of !sic. Jphilosoph)ofmusic2orgK2 2!22 We/2 !3
,arch 2!$2
(odt7 Irving' B,usic' A practical definitionC2 4he ,usical 4imes2 Spring 2.' 3" ? 332
Print2
=er+it&7 %aniel' B4he Securit) of the 9/vious' 9n Gohn Lage5s ,usical <adicalismC2
Critical In&!iry2 Summer !E332 -3$ ? 3$2 Print2
Wittgenstein7 Lud+ig' Philosophische 'nters!ch!ngen2 =o/oken7 FG' *lack+ell
Pu/lishing Ltd27 2E2 Print2
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