Abstract Music
Music without subject
"Abstract Music" is a type of music that focuses on sound and musical elements rather than conveying specific narrative plots or images. It aims to express emotions, atmospheres, and abstract ideas through the manipulation of sound colors, rhythms, harmonies, and forms. Unlike music tied to external language or stories, abstract music is free from those constraints.
Abstract music emphasizes the intrinsic value of musical elements themselves, rather than being bound by particular themes, plots, or meanings. Composers typically do not attach specific textual narratives but instead create emotional and atmospheric qualities through the combination and development of musical elements. Interpretations and feelings about this type of music are often more subjective, allowing listeners to attribute their own meanings based on their personal experiences.
The expression in abstract music can vary widely, ranging from simple sound textures to intricate musical structures. Composers can craft different emotions and contexts by varying, contrasting, and developing musical elements, guiding listeners through emotional experiences. This musical form highlights the listener's subjective involvement, enabling each listener to derive unique feelings and experiences from the music.
The value of abstract music lies in the open space it creates, allowing listeners to interpret and experience the music in different ways. It underscores the expressive power and limitless possibilities of music while encouraging listeners to consider the connections between musical elements and emotions.
Example of Abstract Music
Terminology Information
Vocabulary Category
Related Terms
Dictionary
Other Terms
Tutor's Video (Anna Vienna Ho)
Tutors
Articles
Canon in D
G Song by Terry Riley
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer, the predominant musical figure during the transition between the Classical to Romantic eras. He occupies an unprecedented dominance in the history of Western music history, and has been widely regarded as the greatest, most influential and most popular musician who ever lived.
Beethoven's music inherited the artistic atmosphere of Haydn and Mozart, penetrated the desire for dignity, vented the anger tortured by fate, and demonstrated his determination to fight with fate.
Compared to other musicians, Beethoven is effectively to interact the philosophy of life with audience through music. Although he was not a romantic, he had become the object followed by other romantics.
As a musician, Beethoven suffered from ear diseases. However, he was unwilling to succumb to fate, vowing to take fate by the throat, and continue to complete his career. In the last ten years of his life, without hearing any sound, his compositions influenced the development of music for nearly two hundred years.