David Stewart wrote in response to me concerning definitions of music:

>>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.

Sure they will.  Let's look at the world today.  Everyone has the legal
right to define music as they please.  Most folks have a common notion of
what constitutes music.  But, some minority of persons give music a meaning
significantly more restrictive or expansive than the majority.  Are we in
musical chaos? No. Is everything fine? I think so.

Another example.  Assume that two list members detest "atonal" works.
One of them does not consider it music, the other does.  What difference
does it make what "tag" each places on it.  They both hate the stuff; the
definition matters not at all.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]