ABSTRACT
Aristotle saw the basis for all art forms in the principle of imitation. He claims that music has a special position among the arts because it imitates not the external aspects of objects, but character in his language, the passions and virtues. Psychoanalysis has taught us that phenomena in adult life which are seemingly unintelligible and indefinable take on new meaning when understood in terms of chronologically early experiences. Pleasure is experienced when psychological tension is relieved or when such relief is anticipated shortly. As long as the emphasis is placed on the action of the moving picture, the music cannot be mastered and enjoyed by the listener. In special circumstances even the attentive listener will be frustrated in his attempt to achieve pleasure. Such is the case when he is confronted with music, the form of which is entirely unfamiliar. The artistic necessity for the mastery of auditory stimuli also sheds new light on the concept of tonality.
