Jonathan Ellis wrote:

>A composer is not writing emotions, but music which may evoke emotions.

I agree.

>This doesn't mean that the composer has to feel these emotions,
>experience them.

I'll use an example to respond.  Let's assume that I'm a composer, and that
my friend's child has died of cancer.  Although I have not experienced this
loss, I have the capability of imagining the "intense pain" that a parent
would feel at outliving one's child.  If I were to write music with the
intent of conveying this pain, I would draw upon my conception/imagination
of the pain.  I do not have to actually experience this pain.  At any rate,
if I was composing effectively, listeners would have the opportunity to
"catch" my conception of intense pain from such a loss.

Don Satz
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