Meaning, Emotions, Narrative: the Uniqueness of a Musical Work

Abstract

Sloboda wrote that the meaning and emotions are the most important elements of the musical experience. The paper focuses on both these aspects and poses three questions about music and narrativity. First: whether or when can we talk about a narrative or narrativity with reference to musical works? Second: when can we speak of meaning in music? Third: in what way do our emotions affect that meaning and determine our interpretation of a musical work? Whenever a musical work is perceived as if it created a story in our mind, it is based both on the composer’s suggestions as well as on our own way of interpreting it, which depends on cultural factors. I make a distinction between two areas of music. The fi rst one only stimulates individual emotions, refl ections, recollections, etc., and it is represented, for instance, by etudes or fugues, without titles, commentaries, or any other hint as to the work’s semantic interpretation. This kind of music would produce a different, particular meaning for each listener – through its tempo, key, and character. The second area is the music with an intention of telling a story or at least implying certain moods, emotions, and meanings. The article analyses e.g. Franz Liszt’s Faust Symphony in Three Sketches after Goethe and Fryderyk Chopin’s Fantasy on Polish Airs in A major, Op. 13. and seeks the ways of applying the category of „tellability” to them so as to ultimately address the question whether a musical piece can be a story.