ABSTRACT
Part I considers music’s perceptual origins, and Part II shows that music goes beyond this basic level by projecting possibilities of experience created by another person or persons. We call this ‘virtual expression’. Since creativity of this kind is not tied to the immediate physical presence of the creator, the expressive features of the work can be enjoyed on our own terms. In Part III, it is argued further that the tonal system is the most complete formalization of this, and examples are provided. It is then argued, in Part IV, that instrumental musical meaning involves phenomenological intimacy. This distinctive meaning enables the audience to be, as it were, blended with the expressive dimension of the work in a way that is not possible through other art media. Songs are shown to involve a different variety of this intimacy. In the Conclusion two possible objections to our theory—one based on formalism, and the other on escapism—are considered and rejected. The approach in the chapter as a whole is then summarized.
