Dispute of Self-expression in Program versus Absolute Music
Dispute of Self-expression in Program versus Absolute Music
Program music is a type of music that is inspired by or that depicts non-musical ideas. Absolute music is strictly music without association. It is written just for the sake of music. You can usually tell what type of music a piece is by the name alone. If its name has sonata or symphony in it, it is usually absolute music. If the piece is known by title, it is more likely to be program music.
The subjects for the inspiration of program music can be anything from a mood to a detailed representation of a specific event. Such description is actually hard to do through musical instruments, so the composer must provide the listener with clues as to what the piece is about in advance. The title, abstract use of instruments, and use of items that may not even be an instrument all play a key role in making the listener understand what is going on in the music. Program notes are sometimes given to aid the listener also. That these notes are needed supports the idea that music is incapable of conveying ideas and also supports some composer’s ideas that program music is not as good as absolute music. However, it must be noted that some of the most popular works of music are program music.
Absolute music is the most technically accurate form of music. One can truly display a mastery of musical composition through absolute music, but it seems to me that it has a lack of ability to connect to average people. When I hear absolute classical pieces, I always think of some fancy dinner party. I really just hear well-crafted music and nothing else. Program music uses such methods as tone painting to create something more tangible. When a composer uses specific orchestration to show a theme, I understand what is going on in the music. When a composer writes absolute music I just hear talent towards accurate musicianship and nothing else. I enjoy the tone poems, a composition that that tells a story, of program music over absolute music. I do listen to all types of music for good skill, but I would much rather listen to music written with great amounts of self-expression.