Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Repesentation

Précis for Arthur Schopenhauer The World as Will and Representation

            Music is unique from all the other art forms.  It stands apart from the material world and the realm of ideas.  However, it is universally accepted and completely understood without the use of reason or conscious awareness.  Music deserves greater consideration due to its interpretative ability to strike deep within the collective core.   Music is difficult to discuss because it is hard to differentiate between music itself and the effect it has.

            Objectification of the will means that people create meaning to things once they are perceived.  The other arts objectify the will through ideas in relation to objects residing in the physical world.   Music is independent of the physical world and surpasses the realm of ideas.   As such, music overtakes the will and ideas are understood through the music, not the will.   Music is unique in that it becomes a filter of understanding rather than being a thing to be understood.   As music speaks to our inner selves, it allows us to understand the essence of things, rather than having mere concepts of things.

             There are grades, or levels of objectification that range from understanding simple objects all the way to the higher orders of complex concepts.  Music is analogous to this notion.  Low base tones are similar to raw materials.  Melodies build on the low tones, and they reflect higher orders thought.  Harmonies reflect all levels of objectification as they represent the highest order of thought that are still derived from the raw materials of the low tones.  The base tones tend to be ponderous and repetitive while the melodies tend to progress with “unrestrained freedom.”  Melodies tie musical works together from beginning to end.  They are directly analogous to man as only man can use the past to project the innumerable possibilities of the future.  Where visible life consists of particular deeds, it is melody that reflects all the thought, effort and dimension it took to achieve the deeds.  In this manner, “music is the language of feeling and of passion, just as words are the language of reason.”

            Man is driven by dissatisfaction.  He attempts to move forward, becomes satisfied and then tries to move forward again.  Melody reflects man’s progressive satisfaction of new achievements through intervals of converging harmonies that satisfy the ear.  Composers use similar notions to mirror the human condition through music.  Composers conjure an environment of interpretation by using a language innately understood by all, but that no one can articulate through reason.  It is the composer that creates anticipation, heightens encounters and evokes the deepest emotions.  The composer does not create ideas; he creates environments for ideas to be fully understood.

            Music is a bridge between math, the intellect and emotion.  The elements of music can fully mirror man’s range of emotions, intellect and overall inner-selves.  All the melodies can be expressed through written notes and symbols.  As such, the full range of man’s life can be expressed through symbols and the grammar of music. The only caveat is the intentional use of music, or lyrics, to speak to something specific.  In this manner, music loses its interpretive ability and much like the other arts, becomes a mere representation of an idea.

            Music is universal and evokes deep feelings despite the view that it is independent of reality.  It is fair to say that the universals of music are independent of objects or ideas of reality, or universalia ante rem.  However, in the real world, music infuses universal notions into things, or universalisa in re, through its interpretative effect.

            In summary, music is universally understood, but remains elusive to any form of rational articulation.   The art of music is not in its idea, but its capacity as a translator of ideas that mirror our inner selves.  Knowledge is derived from the observation of our world and the formation of meaning through our conscious awareness, or our will.  Music creates fuller meaning by ignoring conscious awareness and speaking directly to the deeper communicative structures within us.  In other words, music can take possession of our conscious and adds fuller appreciation, understanding and dimension to the things in our world.

Works Cited

Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Oct 10, 2013