David Stewart wrote:

>Donald Satz wrote:
>
>>I have no problem with Ian's definition or anyone else's.  I just use the
>>one which I feel comfortable with and think is most reasonable - music is
>>whatever a person thinks it is.
>
>But as I have said, this is a recipe for chaos.  Noone will know what
>anyone else is talking about.

I think you guys are making this way too hard, but then this is a little
difficult to come to terms with isn't it.  One of the biggest surprises I
had when I got on the net more than a decade ago was that there were
educated, erudite, perceptive people who actually listened to the works of
Stockhausen, Xenakis, Ligeti, Berio, Boulez, etc. as music.  Remarkable,
and utterly baffling for a time.  I still don't consider these men as
composers of music - experimenters with systems is probably a better fit
for me personally - but it is undeniable that people do listen to and
interact with these sounds as music.

The one definition I have heard that manages to work in all circumstances
is a refinement of Don's assertion, that actually has a fair amount of
practical utility.  The definition I've come to accept is:

   Music is anything someone listens to as music.

This isn't very satisfying emotionally, but it does work.  For instance,
take a random, disorganized collection of sounds, like ten washers on
spin cycle in the local laundromat (sort of a naturally occurring version
of Steve Reich's "Drumming", if you will).  If you don't listen to it as
music, then it's just noise, but if you listen carefully you can detect
the rhythmic interaction of these ten machines, and I would say that it can
be considered music if it is listened to as such.  It might not be great
music, or even good music, but it's every bit as musical (perhaps more so)
than any number of Cage compositions.  it also goes to the heart of music,
and that is that listening is required.  Simply hearing is not sufficient.
Attention must be paid, and the experience, knowledge, and emotional state
of the listener must be brought to bear before a musical situation can take
occur.  So, music is defined not by the organization of sounds, but by the
perception and assimilation of sounds.

Dave
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