Philosophy of music: Objective or subjective character in notes?

[dostoyevskyfan]

I am looking for someone with perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, who can describe the “character” in words for each specific note on the scale A flat to G sharp.

For those of you who do not have perfect pitch, here is another question: Do you believe that individual pitches have an objective character about them that can be expressed in words? Or does each individual note or key subjectively signify something different for each person.

Does someone with perfect pitch have the final authority on the interpretation of tones? I would also be interested in hearing what each note on the scale signifies for someone without the ability.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Do you mean like a perceptual phenomenon? There is one, called synesthesia. I’ll try to give a very brief explanation and there are websites you can read - www.synesthete.org is one.

Basically, it’s a fascinating perceptual thing that goes on in some people’s brains, wherein the senses sort of “overlap.” People who can taste colors or sounds would be an example.

I have synesthesia where every letter of the alphabet and every numeral is a unique color which I perceive at some level while reading print, even though the print is black-and-white or some other color.

And I’ve heard of personalities being associated with certain sensory perceptions, so maybe for someone with music synesthesia that would be possible.

Don’t know if this is where you were going or if this is something that has more of a musical explanation. I play the piano and can read music, but I don’t know a lot of sophisticated things about music appreciation. Kind of wish I did. Maybe some day I’ll have time to delve into that.

Have a great day!

 

[phoooiee]

I am looking for someone with perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, who can describe the “character” in words for each specific note on the scale A flat to G sharp.

For those of you who do not have perfect pitch, here is another question: Do you believe that individual pitches have an objective character about them that can be expressed in words? Or does each individual note or key subjectively signify something different for each person.

Does someone with perfect pitch have the final authority on the interpretation of tones? I would also be interested in hearing what each note on the scale signifies for someone without the ability.

I am a professional musician. Absolute pitch is generally considered to not be very important among musicians. All of the “meaning” in musical tones is found in the relationship between them- the way in which they relate to the tonic. In fact, the very idea of key is defined as a series of relationships in which the tonic note is central.

Each key also has a specific relationship to each other key.

Examples of functions are tonic function, which is the beginning and ending of any piece, a place of rest and stability. The next most important is dominant function, usually expressed by the dominant chord, which is built on the note a perfect fifth above the tonic. It creates tension in a specific way which leads into the tonic.

Interestingly, Western classical music is based on relationships between notes derived from the overtone series. Early Western music is meant to reflect this natural order as perfectly as possible.

Atonal music, in which there is no key, developed just after World War I. It is meant to express a world view in which there is no stability and no meaning.

Hope this gives you some insight?