Monday, November 11, 2013

The chicken or the egg

With regard to the reflection presented by John Gilbert in the course of Expanded Music, whether if human language constitutes our reality or if our language is constituted by the reality. We should know that certainly this question has no exact answer, hopefully we will approach an answer if we adopt a clear stance about the principles raised by phenomenology (Husserl). However, regarding the use of spoken language in music, it is valid to extrapolate this and ask ourselves for example:
The language used in a song allows us to call it a song? I mean, is the the lyrics what constitutes the song? And depending on this: Is the lyrics what shapes the sentiment expressed in a song or the sentiment ultimately derives in one (or many) lyrics?

For example we have this beautiful lyric about the use of reason over the use of the heart:






Ah, cuánto tiempo perdido en pensar             Ah, how much time lost in thinking
Que la vida se puede explicar                              That life can be explained
Con veneno intenté curación                              With poison I tried healing
¿Por qué confié en mi razón?                                Why did I trust my reason?

Ya en un mar de palabras me ahogué               Already in a sea of ​​words I drowned
Y fue en vano quererlas creer                                  It was in vain wanting to believe them
Pero al fin el castillo cayó                                          But finally the castle fell
Y adentro sólo estoy yo                                                 And inside there's only me

//: Vos ya sabías que todo es parcial                       / /: You already knew it's all partial
Que no hay mapa que enseñe a viajar                    That there is no map that teaches how to travel
Que es el alma quien debe cantar                            It is the soul that must sing
Que sólo un tonto se pone a correr                            That only a fool starts to run
Cuando la lluvia le besa los pies://                          When the rain kisses his feet :/ /

Sirve el tiempo su mismo licor                                 Time serves its same liquor
Que cada año acelera el temor                                    That every year accelerates fear
Que en mi copa se amargue el sabor                     That in my cup the taste would be bitter
Si no oigo a mi corazón                                                    If I don't listen to my heart




And this is an example of what we call "a song without words", but certainly not without expression of deep feeling:


In my opinion about what came first, the chicken or the egg, I think we simply have to accept the idea that some things do not have a start or end point, but they are both things at once.  I believe that adopting an idea of ​​consensus between the two sides is as close to answering our Hurrserlian question.

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