The limits of music are hard to define, if definable at all. Music can bring any range of emotions to a person from sadness to happiness, calm to uneasy, rage to bliss. A piece of music (in this case classical) can bring out so much. One of my personal favorite classical pieces is Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony. From this masterpiece, you can almost feel the troubles Dmitri Shostakovich went through in the iron grip of the USSR. The pain, the shame, the brooding atmosphere, the glimpse of hope, all of the emotions he had deep inside, shine in the brightest way through the darkest clouds. If you sit and listen to this symphony, you truly leave a different person in only an hour. This was possible because of Shostakovich’s understanding of music and how he was able to convey his thoughts and emotions into music. Zander shows this point To argue where the strengths and limits are in an art form is the wrong question altogether. What should be understood is that the strengths and limits of music are entirely dependent on the strengths and limits of the person who creates or performs it.
This can be argued for possibly any type of art. Art can be defined in many ways and each way it is defined by an individual is correct. A saying with a parallel but similar meaning comes to mind, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” You can tell someone something is ugly, but that does not mean they will see it that way. So it goes for art, where one person can hear a passage and think of unending sadness and the person beside them can picture a beacon of hope. What can be heard or seen in art does isn’t translated perfectly the same for everyone, but everyone can perfectly translate it.
I love how well you portrayed your thoughts and ideas in this blog. I think that adding the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” reference made your argument much stronger. I agree that one person might find something beautiful while another person might not. The only thing I might is what you think some limits of music might be. Have you ever come across any limitations of music in your life? Do you have any personal experiences with music that have resonated with you more deeply than others? A lot of the time, music can remind us of a life experience and cause great emotion. Overall, I really like your perspective on this TED talk.
I strongly agree with you that music can affect the person you are. As you said after listening to a specific song, you can “leave a different person”. I believe that after listening to inspirational music, with or without lyrics it can change you. It strikes your emotions and causes you to look at situations differently.
I also agree that there are many forms of art. Many people define art according to their own thoughts. Art doesn’t have to be defined by the definition. It is whatever you want it to be.
I really like how you talk about Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony and your personal experience with it. It is amazing how much you can portray through music, and art in general. I found it interesting when he talks about how movies lose so much if there is no music. This makes me think of horror movies specifically because the music is always what builds up the anticipation. I like you quote “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is a very good point and is accurate that everyone sees things differently.
I love the formatting of your blog. it helps to really identify your main idea. I strongly agree that music can effect a person and the way that you are. you said that “If you sit and listen to this symphony, you truly leave a different person in only an hour.” I truly believe that this is true and that overall music changes us. I loved how if in the ted talk he discusses the correlation between music and horror films because without the ,music there is no scare. great Job on your third blog.