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"On the Representation of Character in Music": Christian Gottfried Krner's Aesthetics ofInstrumental MusicAuthor(s): Robert RiggsSource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 4 (Winter, 1997), pp. 599-631Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/742287.Accessed: 02/08/2011 13:38
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Primary
Sources
O n t h
epresentation
Character n
M u s i c :
Christian
Gottfried
K o r n e r ' s
esthetics
o
nstrumental u s i c
Robert
Riggs
The formulation
of a
definitive,
historically
based aesthetic
theory
of
Viennese
Classical
instrumentalmusic has
proven
to be an elusive
topic.
Perhaps
he most
obvious
problem
s the
transitionalstate of
aesthetic
attitudesin the
late-eighteenth
century;
ransitional,
hat
is,
between
the more
fully
developed
and established
Baroque
and
Romantic
poles
at
either end. The most
dramatic
aspect
of this transitionwas the
gradual
shift andeventual inversionin the evaluation of instrumentalmusic.
Baroque
aesthetics
denigrated
nstrumental
music,
especially
the new
stylegalant,
because of its obscureand
indeterminate
content;
but
Romantic
aesthetics
(already
n
the
1790s)
glorified
nstrumentalmusic
precisely
because of
its lack of
specificity
or definite
associations.1
In this
article,
I
propose
that Christian
Gottfried Karner
offersa
viable
approach
o
establishing
a
historically
basedaestheticof
Viennese
instrumentalmusic.In his
writings
on
aesthetics,
which have been
noted frequently n Germanscholarshipbut only rarely n Englishstud-
ies,
K6rner
attempted
to
integrate
music into the
broad
philosophical
and
aesthetic issuesraised
by
his
contemporaries,
Kant and
Schiller.2
He
was the firstto
attempt
this,
and
although
only
partially
successful,
his
effort commands
due
respect.
Like
Mozart,
Korner
was
born in
1756,
but he lived
until
1831. He
studied
philosophy
and law
at the
university
n
Leipzig,
his
hometown.
After
receiving
a
doctorate and
making
an extended tour of
Europe,
he
began
a
long
and
successful
egal
careerwith
city
administrations: irst n
Leipzigandthen, from 1785, in Dresden. He remained n Dresdenfor
thirty
years,
until
1815,
when
he was
forced to
move
to
Berlin
because
of
his
position
in favor of
Prussia n
regard
o the
restructuring
f
Germany
after the defeat of
Napoleon.3
Kmrner's
assion,
however,
was
philosophy
and
the
arts-literary,
pictorial,
and
musical-and he
eventually
developed
close
friendships
599
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600 TheMusical
Quarterly
with
many leading figures
n these fields.The most intense of these
rela-
tionshipswas with FriedrichSchiller (1759-1805). Schiller had scored
an
early
success
and
attractedconsiderableattention with several
plays,
most
notably
Die Riuber
(premiere,
1782),
but after several
difficult
years
he foundhimself without a
steady
position
or income. Kornerand
his
fianc6e,
as
admiring
readers,
xchanged
letters
with
Schiller and
tactfully
invited
him
to live
with
them. In
1785,
Schillermoved to Dres-
den and became their
houseguest
or
nearly
two
years,during
which
time he
completed
Don Carlos
and
wrote
"An die Freude."
Although
Schillermoved to Weimar n 1787, fourlargevolumesof correspon-
dence attest
to his continued
intimate
relationship
with Kornerand to
their fertile
exchange
of
ideas.4
Schiller valued
Korneras a
perceptive
critic and
always
submitted
new worksto him before
publication.5
The Kornerhousehold
in
Dresden,
both
during
and
after Schiller's
stay,
became
a
literary
and musicalsalon.
Plays
and
essays
were
read;
Singspiele
nd
chamber
music were
performed;
nd lectureson art were
given.
Guests and
participants
ncluded
Johann
Gottfriedvon
Herder,
Goethe,
Wilhelm von
Humboldt,
the
Schlegel
brothers,
Ludwig
Tieck,
Novalis,
and the musicians
Johann
Naumann,
Johann
Hiller,
KarlZel-
ter,
Mozart,6
nd
Weber.7
While
admittedlyonly
an
amateur,
Korner
sang,
and
played
the
piano
and
lute,
in the best GermanHausmusik ra-
dition.
Perhaps
more
significant
or
my argument
s his demonstrated
knowledge
of
composition.
He
prepared although
never
published)
an
essay
on
music
theory
for his
wife,
and he also
composed
some
thirty
songs
andchoral
works-including,
incidentally,
he first
setting
of "An
die
Freude."These
compositions
exhibit solid
workmanship
and are
styl-
isticallyclose to the Berlinsongtraditionof JohannReichardtand Zel-
ter.8Thus Korner
was
considerably
more
knowledgeable
about music
than
his
literary
riends,
someof whom
also
wrote
about musical aesthet-
ics but
without the
prerequisite
musical
expertise.
This
solid
grounding
in both
philosophy
and music
(rarely
ound in the same
individual n
any
century)
makes Korner
a valuable
and
authoritative
contemporary
witness.
Korner's
major
contribution
is an
essay
entitled
"Ujber
Charakter-
darstellung n der Musik" "Onthe Representationof Character n
Music"),
which was
published
n Schiller's
ournal
Die
Horen
n
1795.9
(My
translation
of Korner's
ssay
is
provided
as an
appendix
to this arti-
cle and should be
read
in
conjunction
with
it. This is the first
publica-
tion of
a
complete
English
version.
Page
references
after
quotations
in
the article refer
to this
translation.)
Unfortunately,
he
logic
of Korner's
argument
s not
always
apparent;
he seems
to assume
that the reader
s
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KIrner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic
601
already
conversant with the central
issuesand
terminology
of his
essay.
Its fundamentalphilosophicalcontext is not difficultto find. In 1790,
ImmanuelKant had
published
the
Critique
f
Judgement,
n
which
ele-
ments from his two
previousCritiques
were
fusedinto a
sophisticated
and
widely
influential
theory
of
aesthetics.10
Korner,
who was
already
amil-
iar
with Kant's
earlier
writings, immediately
read
the newest
Critique
nd
was active in
sparking
Schiller's nterestin
Kant.
Another factorin
Schiller's
orientation toward
Kantwas his
appointment,
in
1790,
as
pro-
fessorof
history
at
Jena,
which
was a
stronghold
of Kantian
thought.
Schiller read the thirdCritiquen 1791, and the followingyearhe began
a
serious
study
of all three
Critiques,
determinedto
master
them,
even,
as
he wrote to
Korner
(1
January
1792),
if it should take
three
years.
Schiller
emphaticallyproclaimed
his enthusiasm
or Kant's
critical
phi-
losophy
(with
its
emphasis
on
self-determinationand
freedom
in
ethics):
"Certainly
no
greater
words
wereever
spoken by
mortal man than
these
of Kantwhich
represent
at
once the essenceof
his entire
philosophy:
'Determine
yourself
romwithin.'
"11
Schiller
became
preoccupied
with the
incorporation
of
Kantian
views into his own writingson aesthetics,and
during
this
period
he
pro-
duced On
the
Art
ofTragedy
Ober
die
tragische
Kunst],1792;
the Kallias
Letters
Kallias
der
iber
die
Schdnheit],
793;12
On
Graceand
Dignity
[Ober
Anmut
und
Wiirde],
1793;
Of
the
Sublime
Vom
Erhabenen],
793;
On
Tragic
Pity
[UOber
as
Pathetische],
793;
and
the
Letters n the
Aesthetic
Education
f
Man
[UOber
ie
isthetische
rziehung
es
Menschen
n einer
Reihe
von
Briefen],
794.13
K6rner
had served as a
sounding
boardand
critic for
Schiller's
thoughts
during
the
gestation
of
these
works,
and his
own "Onthe Representationof Character n Music" rom1794was
writtenunder
their
immediate
influence. Thus
Kirner's
"dialogue"
with
Schiller,
against
the
background
of
Kant,
forms
the
essential
philosophi-
cal context
for
understanding
his
essay.14
I
propose
that Korner
wrote this
essay
in
orderto
defend
music
against
the
reservations hat
both
Kant and
Schiller held about
its merit
as an art form.
Kant was
concernedwith broad
ssuessuch as
the nature
of
beauty
and
the
sublime,
as
well as the
logical
relationship
andstatus
of
the various
arts. For
reasonsdiscussed
below,Kantassignedmusic(at
least
instrumental
music)
the lowest
position
in
the
hierarchy
of the
arts.
Thus
K6rner's
oal
was to
counter
Kant's
negative
evaluations;
more-
over,
as will be
shown,
he
accomplished
this
by
a
subtle and
logically
valid
application
of Kant's
own
prescription
or
artistic
value.
Although
Schiller did not
accept
all of
Kant's
precepts
(the
universal
supremacy
f
the
moral
law,
for
example),
he too
was
skeptical
about the
value of
music,
because
he
mistrusted
ts sensuous
appeal
and
because,
like
Kant,
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602 The
Musical
Quarterly
he viewed music as
something
that
disappears
n
time,
and
thus,
on
accountof its transitorynature,as aestheticallydefective. It will become
apparent
hat Karner s also
utilizing
and
adaptingkey
aspects
of
Schiller's
philosophy
to secure a more
respectedposition
for
music
within the latter's
aesthetics.
Karner
begins
by
rejecting
musicthat is
merely
"pleasurable,"y
which he
meansmusic that
only
seeks to entertain and
thus is
depen-
dent
on
an audience
and its tastesandfashions.
Rather,
f
the
composer
wants to enter the realm of beauty,he mustcreateautonomousworks
that are
free from
external control.15
To
develop
his
theory
of
beauty,
Korner
dispatches
the
outdated,
but still
frequently
cited,
concept
of art
as
imitation,
either of
nature,
language,
or
affects.16
He
justifies
his
rejection by evoking
the
familiar
eighteenth-century
maxim
concerning
the demand for both
variety
and
unity
in
any
work of
art.
Korner,
how-
ever,
employs
new
analogies
to
express
the function
and
relationship
of
these two
qualities.
For
him,
the
primary equirement
of a work
of
art is
that it
distinguish
tself
as a human
creation,
ratherthan
the
product
of
chance,
through
its
order,
hat
is,
unity. Variety,
while
desirable,
s
only
effective
if
displayed
against
the
background
f an
overridingunity.
Korner
displays
his
modern,
post-Baroque
understanding
f
psychology
by emphasizing
hat
affects
(or
passions)
are
highly
transientconditions.
Thus,
while
music
can
and does stimulate
them,
they
must be
equated
with the element of
variety,
which indeed is a
highly prominent
feature
of the Classical
style.
It
follows, however,
that
if music
only
represents
a
series of
passionate
states,
the
result
will be too much
variety
and even
chaos. In K6rner's aradigm, he essentialunity is suppliedbyexpanding
the
analogy.
If the transient
passions
are
equated
with
variety,
hen
human
character,
which
ideally
is
constant in
spite
of
affective
swings,
must
represent
unity.
The artist's
principal
concern, therefore,
should be
the
representation,
not of
affect,
but
of
character.
Korner's ivision of
art
into two
categories-the pleasurable
and
the beautiful-is
taken
directly
from Kant. Korner
agrees
hat,
in order
to be
beautiful,
art
must
represent
an
object
and not
merely
be
pleasur-
able to the subject. Accordingto Kant,the passions,because of their
subjective
essence,
do
not have an existence
independent
from
a
person
that is
adequate
to an idea.
Hence,
they
cannot serve as
objects
of
repre-
sentation,
nor can
they
be idealized.Kant
clearly recognizes
music's
power
to move
the
emotions,
but he
rejects
this
capacity
as a sourceof
beauty,
because aesthetic art must take its standardsnot
from
the emo-
tions of the
senses,
but fromthe reflective
power
of
judgment.
He states
that music
"speaks
by
meansof mere sensations
without
concepts,
and
so
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Kdrner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic603
does
not,
like
poetry,
eave behind it
any
food for
reflection,
still it
moves the mind morediversely,and, althoughwith transient,still with
intenser
effect. It is
certainly,
however,
more
a
matter of
enjoyment
than
of
culture-the
play
of
thought incidentally
excited
by
it
being merely
the effect of
a
more
or less mechanical association-and it
possesses
ess
worth
in
the
eyes
of reason than
any
other of the fine arts."17
imply
stated,
Kantfindsinstrumentalmusic
pleasurable
and
entertaining,
but
he
is
put
off
by
its indeterminatecontent. It
does not
engender
suffi-
ciently
precise
ideas.18
Komer,aswe have seen, also accordsmusic full affectivepowers,
but unlike
Kant,
he
discovers
a much
broader
parameter
and
purpose
within which
this
affective
varietyoperates.
Nevertheless,
K6rner's
sso-
ciation
of
character
with
musical
unity
was
probablypromptedby
Kant's
insistence
that the ideal of the beautifulcan
only
be
sought
in
the
human
form,
in which case the ideal
consists
in
the
expression
of the
moral ideas that
govern
men
inwardly,
hat
is,
their
character.19 his
concept originated
n
Pythagorean
and Platonic
aesthetics,
in which it
was
argued
hat the beautiful s
a
symbol
of
human
character,
andmore
specifically,
hat music is an embodiment of ethical character.20Korner
thus
capitalizes
on
the central
position
of man
in
this schema. The
asso-
ciation of emotions
(whether
Baroque,
tatic and
specific,
or
Romantic,
fluctuating
and
vague)
with music was never called into
question
in
the
eighteenth
century.Why
not associatehumancharacterwith music as
well? The
concept
of characterwas
perfectly
suited to serve as the
object
of
representation
i.e.,
the aesthetic
idea)
that
Kant
required
but didnot
find in
instrumentalmusic.
While the analogybetween affectandvariety,and between character
and
unity
is
readilyapparent,
other
aspects
of
K6mer's
heses are less
accessible.
For
example,
he asserts
hat
the artist
should
not
copy
the real
world,
but should
"complete
hat which we fail to see in the
reality
of an
individual
phenomenon;
he
should dealize is
material..,.
and
intuitively
represent
he infinite.
.
...
In
human naturethere is
nothing
infinite
except
freedom.
The
power,
which asserts ts
independence
rom all
influenceof
the exteriorworldand
against
all inner stormsof
passion,
exceeds
every
known dimension.It is this freedom hat is madesensibleto us through
the
representation
f
character"
613-4).
For
Kant,
freedom s
the
ability
to be
governed
by
reason.This
ability
is also
called the
autonomy
of the
will and is contrastedwith the
heteronomy
of the
agent
whose will is
sub-
ject
to externalcausessuch as
desire,emotion,
or
interest.Freedomand
autonomy
arethus
key
concepts
at
the
very
foundation
of Kant'smeta-
physics
and
ethics. The first
ormulationof the
categorical mperative,
or
example,
can
be
restatedas
"the constrainton our
freedom s
that
we
must
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604
TheMusical
Quarterly
respect
he freedomof
all."21
he transfer
f
freedom romethics to
aes-
thetics is explicit in Kant'sprescriptionhat "the fine artsmust be brought
into combinationwith
moral
deas,
which
alone are attendedwith
a
self-
sufficingdelight,"22
nd that
"the
beautiful s
the
symbol
of
the
morally
good."23
or
Kant,
freedom s an essential
aspect
of
man'smoral
ife,
that
is,
of his inner character.
Therefore,
he
representation
f characterand
freedom
are
logically
and
intimately
bound
together.
The
specific
associationof freedomwith
beauty
s the centraltheme
of
Schiller's
KalliasLetters.Unlike
Kant,
who
held that
judgment
of what
is beautiful s ultimately ubjective,Schiller was convinced that there are
objective
laws,
and he
attempted
o
prove
an
a
priori
heory
that "freedom
in
appearance
s
the same
as
beauty."24
e understood
"free"
n
the
Kant-
ian senseof
disinterested,
not influenced
by
external
causes,or,
to use his
term,
"self-determined."e faced
a
major
difficulty,
owever,
n
meeting
Kmrner's
hallenge
to find
an
objectiveproperty
hat could be located and
could ensurethat freedom
n
appearance
wasindeed
present.
In On Grace
and
Dignity
he
proposed
hat "movement"
might
be this
objective
property.25
e
argued
hat movementis an
indispensable roperty
f
free-
dom in
appearance,
ecause t is this
quality
hat
prevents
t from
being
lifelessor machinelike.
Presumably,
chiller
ultimatelydropped
his
approach,
becausemovement
is
actuallybeing
usedas a
metaphor
and
thus cannot be identified
n
such
a
positive
manner.For
example,
one
must
ask:which movements
are
truly
ree and thus result romthe inner
determinationof the
object?
This
question
renews he
search or addi-
tional
criteria,
which means that the thesis
has not
been
proven.
More-
over,
Schiller needed
an a
prioriargument
hatdid not
appeal
o
experi-
ence. The conceptof movementdoes not satisfy hiscondition.It simply
cannot be
proven
fromfirst
principles
hat
beauty
resides n movement.26
Nevertheless,
Kornmer
xploits
the
concept
of movement
in
his
attempt
to demonstrate
hat there is a musical
analogue
to
freedom,
and
thus that character
representation
n
music is
possible.
Korner
explains
that
"through
elf-awareness,
we
distinguish
n ourselvesbetween
depen-
dence
on,
or
independence
rom,
the external
world. What is
independent
within us we call
ability.
This
is
expressedpartially hrough receptivity,
by interpretingwhat is specificin the externalworld,andpartially
through
activity, by determining
the
given
material
n the external
world
according
to one's own will.
Through
this
becoming specific
and
this
determining
we
experience
that
relationship
with the external
world which is called
our condition"
(618).
He then
explains
that life
is
nothing
more
than a seriesof such
conditions,
and that since the extent
and limitations
of ouractive and
passive
interactionsarenot a matter
of
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Karner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic
605
indifference,
their
perception
is
accompaniedby
affective
responses.
In
orderto perceivesuch symptomsof a condition in others we require
outer
signs,
and
we findsuch
outer
signs
in
movement.
Komer
then
devotes
considerableattention to
the role of
move-
ment in the arts.
The
significance
of
movement
in
dance and
theater is
obvious becausethe
nature and
goals
of motion in
the
"body
anguage"
of
these arts is crucial to
our
understanding
nd
interpretation
of them.
He then
suggests
hat in
sculpture
and
painting,
"the
position
of the
movable
body
parts
becomes
indicative of a
condition,
only
if it
reveals
the trace of a
previous
movement"
(619).
And
he
claimsthat
our
speech
contains
movement-melodic
movement that is
determined
by
our own
activity
and
is thus an
expression
of ourfreedom.
This
claim
leads
Kmrner
o the
assertionthat
musical
movement
alsocontains
signs
that
are indicative of
condition.
His
explanation
amounts to a
theory
of iso-
morphic
relationships
between
musical
motion
(rhythmic,
melodic,
and
harmonic)
and
physical
motion.
(He
assumes
hat
physical
motion is a
mirrorof
internal
condition.)
Major
considerations
nclude the
degree
of
activity
and
passivity,
as well as
the tension and
release
inherent in
the
goal orientation of the tonal system.The mimeticaspectsof this
approach
are
clearly
reminiscent of
Baroque
aesthetics.
Karner
counters
the
objection
that these
musical
gestures
cannot
be
interpreted
with
sufficient
precision
by
invoking
the Kantian
doctrine
of
free
play.
According
to
Kant,
the
object
should not be
represented
with too much
detail or
distinctness
because
this
would leave
nothing
for
the
imagination
to
complete.
Moreover,
during
the
aesthetic
experi-
ence,
the
imagination
must
be
active ratherthan
passive,
because it is
this active contemplation(or freeplay) that makes it possibleforart to
bridge
the
gap
between the
faculties of
understanding
and
reason.
Kant
and,
following
him,
Schiller
subscribed o
the
widely
accepted
eighteenth-century
principle
of
dividing
human
cognition
into
the "fac-
ulties"of
understanding
and
reason.
The a
priori
aws of
natureare
sup-
plied by
understanding,
and
they
in
turn make
knowledge
of the
empiri-
cal world
possible.
Reason,
on
the other
hand,
is
concerned
with
desire
and
the freedomof
the
moral
agent.
Kant
argues
hat there is a
"super-
sensible
substrate" ehind
both
realmsand that
this
substrate
can be
uncovered
by
input
from a
third
faculty:
udgment.
Judgment
s
con-
cemrned
ith
the
feeling
of
pleasure
or
displeasure,
andwhen
aesthetic
judgment
is
informed
by
taste it can
mediate
between
understanding
and
reason,
as
well as
provide
insight
into
the realmof
the
supersensible.27
(Figure
1
provides
a
visual
aid to
this
proposedsynthesis.)28
In
orderto
describe
his
view of
basic human
tendencies,
Schiller
coined
three terms
that
roughlycorrespond
o
Kant's hree
faculties:
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606 TheMusical
Quarterly
judgment
Spieltrieb
lebende
Gestalt
understandingeason Stofftrieb Formtrieb Leben Gestalt
understanding reason Stofftrieb Formtrieb Leben
G~estalt
Figure
Stofftrieb,
ormtrieb,
nd
Spieltrieb
see
Fig.
1).
The
Stofftrieb
s the
desire
to assimilateand
experience
the world of
senses;
the Formtrieb
s
the
urge
to
mentally
"form"
xperience
and
hence to
subject
the worldto
moral law. The
Spieltrieb,
r
urge
for
free aesthetic
activity,
functions as a
bridge
or mediatorbetween the firsttwo.29 n
explaining
the
objects
of
these
"drives,"
chiller extends the
analogy
to aesthetics.
The
object
of
the
Stofftrieb
s life
(Leben):
"a
concept designating
all material
being
and
all that is
immediatelypresent
to
the
senses";
he
object
of
the Formtrieb
is
form
(Gestalt):
"a
concept
which includes all the formal
qualities
of
things
and all the relationsof these to our
thinking
faculties";
nd the
objectof the Spieltriebs living form(lebendeGestalt):"aconcept serving
to
designate
all the aesthetic
qualities
of
phenomena
and,
in a
word,
what in the widest senseof the term we call
beauty."30
While Kanthad
not
employed
he term
"character,"
t
plays
a
very
prominent
ole
in
Schiller's
mpassioned lea
for the
necessity
of
bridging
the
gap
betweenthe facultiesand Triebe. n
yet
anothervariationon the tri-
partite
divisionof human
nature,
Schiller
postulates
hat thereare two
basic
components:
he
physical
natural)
haracter
nd
the moralcharacter
see
Fig.2). The physical sempirical rsense-oriented,s often selfishand vio-
lent,
and can
be
a
danger
o
society.
The moral srationaland
free,
but at
the sametime
only
latentand
underdeveloped
ecauseof the dominanceof
the
physical.
Schiller's
oal
is
to
promote
he
development
of
a
thirdcharac-
ter:
he
aesthetic.
By serving
asa stimulusor the active free
play
of the
imagination Spieltrieb),
rtcan
promote
he
genesis
and
development
of
aesthetic
character.At the same
time, however,
t
is
artand aestheticchar-
acter hat
both
synthesize
he
physical
and the
moral,
as
well
as
liberate,
ul-
tivate,
and
make
possible
he ultimate
riumph
f the moral.31
herefore,
artistic
activity
(either
active
creationor
passiveenjoyment)
reesusfrom
both the dictatesof natural awsand reason
even
Kant's
ategorical mpera-
tive)
and
allowsus to
become
fully
human.
Art thus
assumes
civilizing
ole
becauseof its
power
o coordinate he faculties.These theoriesaresome-
times referred
o as Schiller's esthetic
utopianism,
ecause
hey
culminate
in
his assertion hat
through
aestheticeducation
we
can
develop
the
powers
of
intellect
and
reason
hat are
prerequisites
or
political
order.32
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Korner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic
607
aesthetic
character
art
(stimulates
Spieltrieb)
physical
character
moral
character
(empirical,
sense
oriented) (rational,free)
Figure
Schiller's use of the
term
"character" must
certainly
have been
another factor
in Kdrner's
postulation
of this
concept
as the
object
of
musical
representation.33
But
which of Schiller's three
characters did
K6rner
intend? Schiller
emphasized
the element of freedom and
thus the
association
with
moral character. It
is
obvious,
however,
that
K6mer,
in
pleading
music's
capability
for
character
representation,
is
also
including
the physical and the aesthetic. For K6rner it is a given that music has a
strong empirical component;
he does not
doubt
that it can
stimulate the
senses.
His
goal
is to
counter
Schiller
by
proving
that the
power
and
value
of
music extends
beyond
the
sensual.
He
attempts
to
demonstrate
that music's
rational
content
is
sufficiently
determinate
to
permit
and
activate
the free
play
of the
subject's
imagination,
which,
in
turn,
leads
to the
development
of
aesthetic
character.
In the fourth letter from On the Aesthetic
Education
of
Man,
Schiller
states:
The manof Culture makes a friendof
Nature,
and
honours her freedom
whilst
curbing
only
her
caprice. Consequently,
whenever
Reason
startsto
introduce the
unity
of moral law into
any
actually existing
society,
she must
bewareof
damaging
he
variety
of Nature. And whenever
Nature
endeav-
ours
to
maintain
her
variety
within the moral framework f
society,
moral
unity
must
not
suffer
any infringement hereby.
Removed alike from unifor-
mity
and from
confusion,
there
abides
the
triumph
of form.
Wholeness of
charactermust thereforebe
present
in
anypeople
capable,
and
worthy,
of
exchanginga State of compulsionfora State of freedom.34
Wholeness of character is
only
possible
if all three
components-moral,
physical,
and aesthetic-are
present.
Karner
implies
that
music embod-
ies,
and can
stimulate
the
development
of,
wholeness of
character.
Moreover,
he believes that it is a
viable artistic medium
(and
symbol)
for
Schiller's
paradigm
of
the individual
psyche
and,
by
extension,
of
human
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608 TheMusical
Quarterly
society.
Music,
therefore,
s
fully
capable
of
contributing
o man'saes-
thetic education. (Figure3 providesa compendiumof the manypairsof
dialectical terms that have been discussedand
illustrates he
mediating
role
of free
play,
or
Spieltrieb.)
The
large
central
portion
of Kdrner's
ssay
(summarized bove)
is
devoted
to
the deductive
proof
that character
representation
n musicis
possible,
because,
via
movement,
music
can
illustrate
a
series of affective
conditions,
which in turn
symbolize
reedom.Kdrner's
ogic
is
problem-
atic,
however:
given
that the
composer
can
only
illustratea successionof
affects,how can the listenerdiscover the commonor constantelement,
the character?35
orner
eems
to realize
that,
in
spite
of
his involved
exegesis,
he has not
sufficientlyproven
his
point,
becausehe admits that
"thatwhich we call character
cannot be
perceiveddirectly
either
in
the
realworld or in
any
work
of
art.
Rather,
we
can
only
deduce
it
from
that
which is contained in the featuresof individualconditions.
It
must be
asked
then,
whether,
in the series of conditions
that
music
represents,
sufficientmaterial
s
present
to form
a
definite
presentation
of a
charac-
ter?"
621).
This launcheshim into the
final
section of the
essay
and
into a renewed
attempt
to substantiatemusic's
capacity
for character
representation.
He
again
takes
up
the
issue
of movement and investi-
gates
whether
definite
goals,
or
types,
of
musical movement
can be
per-
ceived.
He concludes that
only types
of "movement" an be
identified,
and
(with
a
quick
terminologicalsleight
of
hand)
he
declares
that all
"drives" an
be
divided into two classes:active or
passive,
which he fur-
ther
equates
with
masculine
and feminine ideals. "Neither
of these two
opposing
categories
of drives
completely
loses its effectiveness as
long
as
life itselfcontinues,but they restricteach other,and at one momentthe
active
drive
dominates,
while at anotherthe
passive
drive dominates. If
a
specific
and
permanent
relationship
between the
two is
perceived,
then this
pertains
to
the character's
eatures,
and hence to the masculine
and
feminine
deal,
and the
infinite
variety
of
shading
between them"
(622).
There
is,
therefore,
a
break
n
sequence
between the main
body
of
Korner's
rgument
which
is based on
perceiving
signs
of
condition)
and
the
concludingsegment(which
focuses on the masculine-femininedual-
ity).
The outdated
overtones of
this
approach
need not cause
any
embar-
rassment;
a
strong
belief in distinctions between
masculine
and
feminine
traitswas
fundamental o much
eighteenth-century
hought
and scholar-
ship.36
Nevertheless,
Kdrner's
xplication
of how this
duality
can
aid in
character
representation
s not
convincing.
It
is
clearly
a weak
point
in
the
essay,
because,
even
if he had been ableto demonstrate
he
necessary
connections
(which
he was
not),
the
metaphorical
use
of the terms
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Kbrner's
esthetics
f
Instrumental
usic
609
aestheticworkof art
lebendeGestalt
=
character
epresentation
variety
unity
affect
(artist)
I + (audience) character
pathos
ethos
transient free
play
constant
Stoff
Spieltrieb
Form
Leben
Gestalt
sensual
moral
empirical rational
necessity
freedom
aesthetic haracter
wholenessof character
Figure
.
Compendium
f dialecticalerms
"masculine" nd "feminine" eparates he theoryof characterrepresenta-
tion from its
classical,
humanistic foundation.37
Although
most of
his
essay
is
kept
on an
abstract,
philosophical
plane, Komer
does devote some attention to the
relationship
between
actual musical
techniques
and character
representation.
Unfortunately,
this section also
exhibits several weaknesses: t is too
brief,
there
are
no
concrete
examples,
and certain
terms
(e.g.,
Klang,
Schall,
Harmonie)
are
not
clearly
defined
or
usedwith a
systematic
precision
that
would allow a
positive contextual inferenceof theirmeaning.Nevertheless,Karner
does
provide
some
explanation
of how
timbre,
rhythm
(meter),
melody,
and
harmony
(counterpoint)
contribute
to
the
goal
of
character
repre-
sentation.
In
regard
o
timbre,
K6mer
equates
the differenceon
the contin-
uum
between
"rough
and soft"with the
masculine-feminine
duality
and
thus
links
it to this
aspect
of character.
Rhythm
is
viewed as
the
main
sourceof
unity
(character).
He refers
o
"regularity
n the
change
of
note
values"
but it
is not clear
whether he means
a
dominating
rhythmic
con-
figuration,
or
(as
his
example
of two
strophes
rom
poemsby
Klopstock
would
suggest)
the
recurring
metric
pattern
of
stressedand
unstressed
beats;
perhaps
he
intends both
aspects.38Melody
is
primarily
esponsible
for
variety (pathos),
although
if
it observes
certain
limitationsin its
range
and
regularity
n its
progression,
t
can
also
contributeto the
ethos. Korner inds
that in Harmonie"the
combination
of
simultaneously
sounding
parts
makes t
possible
to
distribute he
melody
and
rhythm
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610 The
Musical
Quarterly
among
these
parts.
Passionand
character,
ach differentiated
by
various
movements,can be illustratedwith more life anddefinition without dis-
turbing
the balancebetween
them,
which is
necessary
orthe most com-
plete
effect of the whole"
(624).
Perhaps
he is
referring
o a
homophonic
texture
in which the
melody
communicates he transientaffect while
simultaneously
he
accompaniment,
with its
regular hythmic
move-
ment,
transmits he constant character.39 ut the final sentence of the
essaysuggests
hat
K6mer's
use of the term Harmonie efers nstead to
true
contrapuntalcomplexity:
"Tothis extent and
degree,
there exists
perhapsno otherrepresentation n music for the sublimen character."
This last-momentmention
of
the sublime
is
his bow
to
the familiar
eigh-
teenth-century
distinction
between the beautifuland the
sublime.
Only
the beautiful
had been under consideration
up
to this
point,
but
K6orner
obviously
wanted,
with this final
salvo,
to
insist on music's
capacity
for
the sublimeas well.40
How does
Korner's
oncept
of characterrelate to the musical
prac-
tice of his
contemporaries?
he
term "character"
lays
a
prominent
role
in discussionsof musical content and
expression
by many
theoristswho
propose
the existence
of basic
verbally
dentifiablecharacters.
They
fre-
quently
reduce the affective
spectrum
o a four-fold
division,
forexam-
ple:
love, sadness,
oy,
and
anger.
Such
systems
of four basic
categories
of
character
are
proposed
by
Caspar
Reutz,
Karl
Junker,
Michel-Paul-Guy
de
Chabanon,
Johann
Hiller,
et
al.41
However,
they
are
using
"charac-
ter" o referto a
grouping
of related
affects,
which,
in
principle,
is
an
awkward
ompromise
between the
specificity
of
Baroque
affect
theory
and the Romantic view that musicalcontent cannot be translated nto
language.
"Character"
s
also
prominent
in the
pedagogical
and
perfor-
mance literature.
Daniel
Tiurk
nd
Carl
Czerny,
or
example, emphasize
the
necessity
of
perceiving
a work's ntended
character,
and then select-
ing
nuances
of
tempo,dynamics,
and
articulation o
heighten
and com-
municate
it.42
But
it
is also clear
that affect
or
expression
s the overrid-
ing
concern in their
understanding
f the term.
Although
the
composers
hemselveswere
generally
reluctantto dis-
cussthe content or meaningof their instrumentalmusic,there are sev-
eral
well-known occasionswhen
they employed
the term"character."
According
to
G.
A.
Griesinger,
Haydn
said "that
he oftentimes
had
por-
trayed
moralcharacters
n his
symphonies."43
nfortunately,Haydn
was
not
willing
to
provide
either
Griesinger
or A. C. Dies with sufficient
details for us
to determinehow he
might
have understood
his
process.
While it is
tempting
to
suggest
that he
might
have used
"character"
n
Korner's
ense,
we must
remember
hat Kantian ideas
enjoyed
a wide-
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Kbrner'sesthetics
f
Instrumentalusic
611
spreadpopularity
n the
1790s.44
Haydnmay
simply
have been
ensuring
the value of his symphonies n the face of Kant'schallenge that worksof
art mustbe
brought
nto
conjunction
with moralideas
if
they
areto be
considered
beautiful.45
Beethoven,
in a letter
of
1817,
announced his intention
to abandon
the traditionalItalian
tempo
indications
because
of their
imprecision
and
to
adopt
Malzel's
metronomenumbers.He
added, however,
that
"the words
describing
he character
Karakter]
f a
composition
are a dif-
ferent matter.We cannot
give
these
up.
Indeed the
tempo
is
more like
the body,but these certainlyreferto the spiritof a composition."46
Beethoven
presumably
ad in mind
expressions
uch as
neue
Kraft
uih-
lend,
mit
innigster
Empfindung,
nd
beklemmt
from
the
String
Quartets
Op.
130 and
Op.
132),
which he
began using
with
greater requency
n
his
late
works.These
highly
evocative and
innovative
expressions
reveal
that
Beethoven's
conception
of characterwas
affect-oriented.In
general,
however,
it
must be remembered hat Beethoven also avoided
discussing
the content
or
meaning
of his instrumentalworks.
Thus,
many
theorists and
performers, erhaps
under the
pedagogi-
cal constraint of
providingpractical
hands-onadvice forstudents,subdi-
vide and translatetheir
concept
of
character nto more or
less
specific
categories
of
affect. The
composers,
on
the other
hand,
were
obviously
reticent about
translating
he content
of
their works.
This reticence
aligns
them with a crucial
aspect
of Korner's esthetics.
K6mer
never
discusses
different
haractersor
specifies
how the
characterof one work
might
distinguish
t from that of another. His use of the term
remains
abstract,
and indeed
it
must,
because he defines
it
as an
idealizationof
inner humanqualities. Although he does not explicitlystate
it,
Karner
must have been
building
on the
dichotomy
that Kant
establishes
between
phenomena
and
noumena.Phenomena are
real
empirical
objects.
Noumena are
transcendent
objects,
that
is,
they
arenot
perceiv-
able and do not
belong
to the world of
space,
time,
and
causality.
Only
noumena can be idealized.Art
creates a link or
bridge
between the
phe-
nomenal and noumenal
by
meansof "aesthetic
deas,"
which Kant
defines as
"that
representation
of the
imagination
which
induces much
thought,yet
without
the
possibility
of
any
definite
thoughtwhatever,
i.e.,
concept, being adequate
to
it,
and
which
language,
consequently,
can never
get quite
on level terms
with
or
render
completely
intelligi-
ble."47For
Korner,
character
representation
s an
aesthetic idea.
Korner's
chievement
consists in his
application
and subtlemodifi-
cation
of
Kant'sand
Schiller'saesthetics.48 n
doing
so
he defended
instrumentalmusic
against
theirreservations
and
exhibited an
apprecia-
tion of it that
had eluded them. Korner s
one of the
few
writers rom
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612 TheMusical
uarterly
this
period
who
rejects
art as imitation but does not
accept many
tenets
of earlyRomanticism.Perhaps t is in this narrowzone that we can dis-
cover an aesthetic that
lays
valid claim to the
label"Classical."49When
listening
to the
great
worksof this
period,
do we
not sense
movement,
freedom,
iving
form,
and
(perhaps
ubliminally)
human
character,
as
well as
utopianstriving?
Are these
concerns not central to our
experi-
ence of
beauty
and
sublimity?
submitthat
they
are,
and that
Komer's
aesthetics
provides
a
sophisticated ate-eighteenth-centuryvantage
point
that
can
sharpen
and illuminate
our
perceptions.
Appendix:
"On the
Representation
of Character in
Music,"
by
Christian Gottfried
Kmrner
(English
ranslation
y
Robert
Riggs)
As
long
as
the
composer
knows
no
higher goal
than the entertainment
of his audience,then
it
will merelybe the traitsof this audience that will
guide
him in the selection and treatmentof his material.Sometimes
he
will shock with
crashing
noise,
sometimesstimulate more tender nerves
with sentimental
tunes,
andsometimes
occupy
a
listener,
who thinks
more than
feels,
with artificial
uxtapositions
and bold transitions.For
him,
music is
merely
a
pleasurable
rt;
he has no
conception
that it
could
be
something
more.
On
the other
hand,
when
entering
into the realmof
beauty,
he
composersubjectshimself to quitedifferent aws. Freedfrom all external
influence of the
prejudices,
ashions,
and
caprices
of
his
time,
he
becomes all the more strict
with
himself,
and
his
only goal
is
to endow
his works
with an
independent,
self-sufficient
value.
What a
great advantage
t would be
if,
in a
complete theory
of
beauty,
he
could find
specific
instructions
concerning
the
prerequisites
for such an
independent
value,
and then
merely
needed to
apply
them to
the
specifics
of his art.
But we
do
not
yet
have such a
theory,
and there
are some
outstanding
minds who even doubt that one is
possible.
Mean-
while,
before
we
can
demonstrate,
rom
the nature of
beauty,
a satisfac-
tory development
of the
necessary
and
general
laws of
art,
it will be
helpful
to
identify
the individualfeatures
of that
which
(in
and
of
itself)
is
worth
representing
n
every
art,
especially
without
regard
o the
recep-
tivity
of a
specific
audience.
At
the
present
time,
there are still fewer
preliminary
tudiesof this
type
in
music
than in the other
arts,
and
per-
haps
it has been
undervaluedmore
frequently
or that
very
reason.
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KImer's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic613
For
a
long period strange
prejudicesprevailedconcerning
what was
worthyof representation n music.In this context the axiom that imita-
tion
of nature is the
purpose
of
art was
misunderstood;
nd
many
consid-
eredthe re-creation
of
everything
audible,
from the
rolling
of
thunder to
the
crowing
of the
cock,
to be the
proper
businessof the
composer.
A
bettertaste is
beginning
to
gain ground.Expression
of human
feeling
is
replacing
soulless noise. But
is
this the
point
where the
composer
should
stop,
or is there a still
higher goal
for him?
In that which we call the
soul,
we
distinguish
between constant and
temporaryactors: he spirit
[Gemith],
characteror Ethos;and the emo-
tions
[Gemiithsbewegungen],
assionate
state or Pathos.Is it
inconsequen-
tial which of these two the musician
attempts
to
represent?
The first
requirement
of an artwork
s
indisputable;
hroughsigns
of
an
ordering
power,
t must
distinguish
tself as a human
product,
n con-
trast
to the outcome of blind
coincidence;
thus the
law of
unity.
The
superiorcomposer
strives to
give
this
quality
to
his
works,
but not
always
with
equal
success.
Poets and
representational
artists,
because of their
medium,
can
never
represent
a condition without a
person.
The
musician,however,
can
easily
develop
the delusion that
it
is
possible
to
illustrate he emo-
tions as
something independent.
If
he is satisfied n
providing
a
chaos of
sounds,
which
expresses
an incoherent mixture of
passions,
then he
indeed has an
easy
time of
it,
but he must not
claim to be an artist.On
the other
hand,
if
he
recognizes
he need for
unity,
then he
will search in
vain for
it in
a series of
passionate
states.
They
are
nothing
more than
variety,
constant
change,
growth,
and decline. Ifhe
wants to maintain
a
single state, then he becomesmonotonous,dull, and tedious.Ifhe wants
to
representchange,
then this
presupposes omething
constant
against
which it
appears;
nd often such a constant arises
ndependently,
with-
out the artist
consciously
making
a choice.
But
just
because he
disregards
this
choice,
he
will,
in most
cases,
sink to the
crudest
evel. He is
deceived
by
the effect of his
misused
alent,
because
it
is
precisely
the
lowest
expression
that is the
most
commonly
understood.He
will often
reap
the loudest
applause
or
committing
the
worst sins
against
art;
and
this
increasingly
alienates
him
from his mission.
He becomes the slave,
rather than the
master,
of his audience.
Moreover,
here is
certainly
no
proofrequired
hat
art
standsat a
very
low level
if
it
is
content to
repeatunchanged
that which
the real
worldoffers.Such
repetition
can have value in
another
respect-as
renewalof a sensual
mpression.
But
if
we
expect
aesthetic
enjoyment,
we
demandmore. The
artistshould
complete
that
which we fail
to see in the
reality
of an
individual
phenomenon;
he
should
dealize
is
material.The
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614
TheMusical
Quarterly
dignity
of human natureshould
appear
n the creationsof his
fantasy.
He
should raise us from our low sphereof dependenceand limitation to his
level,
and
intuitively represent
he
infinite,
which outside of art
can
only
be
imagined.
But the
passionate
state is limited
by
its own nature.
In
order
to
aspire
to
a definite
goal,
all
power
is
concentrated,
so to
speak,
on
a sin-
gle point.
Here,
fantasy
cannot enrich the
subject
matterwith new ele-
ments,
but rathercan
only intensify
the
degree
of
striving.
Attempts
have often been madeto idealize
sorrow,
oy,
desire,
and
horror.But what wasgenuinelyideal in that case?Wasit the emotion
itself as an
independentlyexisting
object,
or was
it
the
person
in whom
we observedthe emotion? If
we
imagine
this
person
without
anything
that
represents
masculine
power
or
gracious
emininity,
how much
remains
of the ideal?
In
human nature there is
nothing
infinite
except
freedom.
The
power,
which asserts
ts
independence
from all influencesof the external
worldand from all inner
stormsof
passion,
exceeds
every
known
dimen-
sion.
It is this freedomthat is made sensible
to us
through
the
represen-
tation of character.
If music
is
to
renounce
everything
that other arts
gain throughrep-
resentationof
character,
hen a reason forthis must be found in the
peculiarities
of this
art.
This calls for a
specialinvestigation.
Music
would not be able to
represent
he ideal of
character,
or
any
other
object,
if
there was a basis
for the
objection
that,
by
itself,
it
does
not
give
us
something
definite to
think about. This
is
still a
prevailing
opinion
with a
large
part
of the
public.
Poetry,
heater,
or dance are con-
siderednecessary n orderto supplementthis lack of definiteness,and
where music
is
presented
as an
independent
art,
it is misunderstood
because
its
meaning
cannot be translated
nto wordsand
shapes.
Given
the
poverty
of the aesthetic
enjoyment
allotted to us in the
present
age,
it
is fruitful
o
investigate
what each
specific
art can
repre-
sent
by
itself. We
no
longer
have festivalswhere human nature
appeared
in full
display
and
opened
its treasures
imultaneously
or the
eye,
ear,
and
fantasy.
Out of
necessity
we
have learned
to celebratewith modera-
tion the little
that still remainsof these festivals.
If,
in our
age,
a rare
coincidence
of
conditions is
necessary
n order
or
outstanding
artistic
talents from
various
genres
to unite for
a
common
purpose,
hen there is
no choice other
than to
expand
the
range
of each art as much as
possi-
ble,
so that
its works
(even
without the admixture
of
heterogeneous
ele-
ments)
do not lack
in inner richness.
There was
a time
when,
in
dance,
music,
and
poetry,
he
represen-
tation
of a
specific
object
was
not at all intended.
Doubtless,
it was the
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Korner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic615
driveto announce his existence that first
prompted
man to
develop
these artistic abilities. This drive,which indeed is alwayspresentin
healthy
conditions,
expresses
tself
only
in those
moments when it is not
inhibited
by pressure
rom
external
relationships.
Hence the
striving
to
make
these extant
powers
sensible in
any
convenient
object,
and
the
independent
enjoyment
of the
activity
itself,
regardless
f its
effect. The
closest
things
to man
are his
body
and the air that he
breathes n
and
out.
The drive for
independentactivity
found its firstvehicle in
both
of
these. In the free movement of the
body,
without
being
restricted
by
gravity, he mind alsofeels as thoughrelieved of its bonds. The earthly
sphere,
which is its
constant reminder
of
dependence
on
the
external
world,
seems to become
ennobled,
and
the limits of its
existence are
expanded.
Thus man
also
perceives,
in
the sound of his
voice,
a
sensual
effect of his
activity,
without visible
limits;
the free
play
of his
fantasy
opens
a realm of
immeasurable
imensions,
and his
song
communicates
with
all of nature.
Song requires
words,
but
only
those
that are
worthy
of
being sung.
The
mind and the ear both
expect enjoyment
from
language
if
it is to
serve,
not as a
useful means of
satisfying
he
daily
needs
of
soci-
ety,
but
rather
as an
instrument or
expressing
a
particular
tate of
inspi-
ration.
The
imagination
feels freed from the
limitations of
time
and
place.
It revels in
images
of what is
absent,
past,
and future.
But it
does
not
want
to revel
alone. Its fictions should also
appear
n a
refined
way
for
others,
and this is
achieved
by
the selection and
position
of
words.
Dance, music,
and
poetry
(in
this
period
in
the
history
of
art)
are
not means
to
an
end,
but ratherare ends in
themselves.
They
are free
products
of human
nature
in
moments of
a
higher
life. What
appears
n
them is solelywhat is personalabout the artist.One stepfurtherand he
also feels called
upon
to
go
beyond
his own
person
and
to
createa work
existing
in itself.
Inspiration
gave
birth to an
idea that
he wishes to
real-
izeoutside of his own
fantasy.
He is not satisfied
ust
to
disseminatethe
festive mood that he
perceives
in
himself,
but
wishes that his
creations
should
also
enrich the
conceptual
world of his
public.
This
is
the
period
of
representation.
But
dance, music,
and
poetry
(even
as
representational
arts)
do not
completely change theiroriginalnature.The physicalformin which the
artist's
hought
appears
s not
dead but animated.The
elements of free
life often resist the
force
of this
thought.
Therefore,
n
a series of
motions,
tones,
and
words,
there
is much
that does not
represent
a
spe-
cific
object,
but rather
merely
illustrates he
personal
mood of
the
artist.
If the drive to
represent
s
unbounded,
the material
would
eventually
even
destroy
the form.
The
greatest
passion
is
motionlessand
speechless.
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616 The
Musical
Quarterly
If
dance,
song,
and
poetry
are still
to
endure,
then
something
of
reality
mustbe sacrificed,and the artist's ndividualitymustcounterbalance he
rule of
the
object.
Therefore,
n
music,
just
as
in dance and
literature,
definiteness
must
not be demanded rom
any aspect
that does not
belong
to
represen-
tation. The
feeling
of
enthusiasm,
which the artistarouses
by
spreading
his mood
throughout
his
domain,
is darkand indefinite
by
nature.And
the
imagination
welcomes even this
indefiniteness,
becauseit is
less
restrictive
o its free
play.
It is
only
when
music
intends to
represent
hat
its signsmust have a specificmeaning,and, in orderto determine
whether
signs
of this
nature
exist,
we want to
attempt
an
application
to
music
of that which the
general
lawsof
representation
demand in
regard
to definiteness.
A
represented
object
can
appear
o the
fantasy
as a
phenomenon,
only
when
if
it is
given
definite limitations.
he
infinite,
in its
purity,
cannot
appear.
When the intellect
attempts
to think of
it,
and
removes
everything
limited from its
conception,
it also eliminatesall nourish-
ment from
the
imagination.
Therefore,
before it can be
represented,
he
artist's dea mustalreadybe conceived as
it
were in a physicalcloak. The
most
perfect representation
an achieve no more than the
complete
communication
of the
artist's dea
to
our
fantasy.
But if there is
nothing
concrete
in this
idea,
even for the
fantasy,
hen we miss the
genuine
aes-
thetic
enjoyment,
and the
most
luxuriouscostume
cannot
compensate
us
for its loss.
Assuming
that
the
artistic ideal has
been conceived
in
a definite
way,
it can
only
be made sensible
if we
perceive
these determinations n
particular elationships.Similarly, he natureof a realobjectcan never
be
recognized
directly throughexperience,
but
only by
meansof
its rela-
tionships,
just
as
we
deduce causes
from effects.The more
comprehen-
sively
the
relationships
of the ideal are
given
in the
representation,
he
more
definite
its
appearance
will
be.
Butthis
completeness
is
dangerous
or the artist.If the
representa-
tion of
the ideal
extends
to all
adjacent
aspects
that are relevant because
of
time,
place,
and the context
of causes and
effects,
then
the
appear-
ance
approaches eality,
and
nothing
remains or the viewer's
antasy
to
complete.
Fantasy,
however,
doesnot wish to be
idly receptive during
the aesthetic
enjoyment;
rather,
t wishesto be summoned
o
its own
activity.
Therefore,
there areartists
who
intentionally
refrain rom
such
completeness
and who leave
unrepresented
he context
n which their
ideal
appears.
There are several
examples
of this
type
among
the works
of the Greek
sculptors.
An
archaeologist
ailsto see the so-calledattrib-
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Korner's
esthetics
f
Instrumental
usic
617
utes in
these
works,
but for
one
who loves art for its own
sake,
this
makes them all the morevaluable,becausethey place fewerrestrictions
on the
free
play
of the
fantasy.
He
imagines
that the
celestial
beings
cre-
ated for
him
by
the
sculptor
belong
to a
higher
sphere
beyond
the
boundariesof
reality.
He
organizes
hem
into
essential
categories
that are
founded
in
nature,
and that are not
dependent
on the coincidences of
mythology
or the customs of a
specificpeople.
But
only
in
orderto
per-
ceive the
distinguishing
marksof these
categories,
does he demand defi-
niteness;
otherwise he can
dispense
with it.
The
physicality
of the ideal consists
in
a
singlerelationship,
not to a
specific
ndividual
object,
but
to the overall
representation
f
space
in
gen-
eral. A
particular
art
of this
space appears
illedhere.
While there is
only
a
vague
conception concerning
that which fills the
space,
its borders re
all
the
more
distinct,
complete,
and
definite.
And
merelyby
representing
these
borders,
he artistsucceeded
n
enrapturing
s for the
creationof his
fantasy.
The
shape
that
appeared
o us was
meaningful
down
to the small-
est
details
of its
surface.
The
only
feature
of the
physical
material hat we
could
contemplate
was its
extension;
ut
never
had an
appearance
n the
real worldsuppliedus, in a singlefeature,with so much.
In this case we can understandhow the
greatest
riches
can
coexist
with
apparentpoverty,
f we remember he
conditions
on which
the con-
tent
of
an
ideal
depend.
We value
the
phenomenon
according
o that
which does
not
appear
n
it,
but ratherhas to be
thought ccording
o the
sum
of
reality
that it
presupposes,
nd
according
to
the content of
our
concept
of that
which
underliesour
representation
of the
phenomenon.
That which we
directly
observed n the individual
phenomenon
never
gives us a complete representationof an object;holes remainthat must
be
filled
in
by
inferencesand
premonitions.
The
imagination
takesthe
material or
these
completions
from its
own
treasures,
but
in
the selection
of
this material
t
is
dependent
on
that which
was
directlyperceivable.
And
the
greater
his
dependence
is when
viewing
a workof
art,
and
the
more
unrestricted he artist is in
commanding
he connoisseur's
antasy,
the richer the
ideal will
be that is made sensible in
his
representation.
The
viewer's
magination
s
guided by
the
sensible
aspect
of the
phenomenon,
but
only
to the
extent that
it
is
definite
atherthan mani-
fold.
The mereoutline of a
figure,
masterfully
ketched on
paper,
s suffi-
cient
to
provide
laws for our
fantasy.Every
point
of the delicate line
is,
so to
speak,
animated;
each one utters an
unmistakable
expression
of
power
or
grace.
We feel
an irresistible nner drive to
complete
the
pic-
ture that has been
only
suggested;
but we
also
feel
the
impossibility
of
including anything
in
our idea that would be
incompatible
with
what is
specific
to such a
phenomenon.
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618 TheMusical
uarterly
The formal
contours in a
sculptor's
work are
simultaneously
defined
in all possibledirections.Thus the fantasywould be warnedeven more
often if it wanted to
attempt
an
inappropriate
iction;
but
it
also
receives
even more
challenge
to
engage
in its own
activity.
And an
immeasurable
field is
opened
for
this
activity
with
respect
to all the
features hat were
not
specifiedby
the
artist.
Everything
hat the
object
can
gain
through
color, movement,
and
external
relationships
s
in
its
power.
It
is also not
restricted
n
time. That which
the artist
presents
or
viewing
can be con-
templated
for
eternity.
Here a singlesensiblefeaturegivesdefinitenessand richnessto the
ideal. But is this
valid
only
for the
contours
of
the form?
Or is there
another
equally meaningful
eature or other arts?
One of the
relationships
hat
gives
definiteness o the
presentation
of an
object
is its
speciallyassignedplace
in a series
of
causes
and
effects.
It
is
primarily
his
relationship
hat
occupies
the
poet,
and
it
is here that
he demonstrateshis
power
of
representation
o the broadest
extent. He
goes
back
to the most
remotecausesof
events,
and follows their
progress
through
the
smallest advancesto the final denouement.
If the
poet
is satisfied n
representing
a series of
phenomena
that are
joined by
general
laws of
nature,
he
can
thus
provide
us with a
very
instructive
work,
but
certainly
not an
inspiring
one. In orderto
leave the
realm
of limited
reality
and cross over into
the
realm
of
the
ideal,
he
requires
reedom.
This
is
the
soul
of his
poetry.By presupposing
elief in
freedom,
an
independent vitality
spreads
over the
elements
of
his
work,
and in
place
of
a
puppet
show,
which is moved with invisible
stringsby
an unknown
power,persons
n action
appear.
Each of these
protagonists
is at the center of a specialsphereof action, and in this spherethere is a
series
of conditions
[Zustianden]
hat is called
life. Every
condition is based
on a
specific relationship
between the free
independentbeing
andthe
world that surroundst. Both areconceived in a context in
which
the
activity
of the
former nvades
the
receptivity
of the
latter.
Freedom,
personality,
ondition,
and life
(when
examinedas
topics
of
art)
are
not
metaphysicalconcepts,
but
rather,
eatures hat are
per-
ceived in ourselves
by
means
of inner
sense,
and which are
transferred
o
other beings.Throughself-awareness,we distinguish n ourselves
between
dependence
n,
or
independence
rom,
the externalworld.What
is
independent
within us we call
ability.
This is
expressedpartially
through
receptivity,by interpreting
what is
specific
in the external
world,
and
partially hrough
activity, by determining
he
given
material
in the
external world
according
o one's own will.
Through
this becom-
ing
specific
and
this
determining
we
experience
that
relationship
with
the external world which is called our condition. n such a condition we
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Korner's
esthetics
f
Instrumentalusic619
can
perceivespecific
eatureswithout
having
top related