This past week in class we discussed the topic of individualism in music. People have different tastes about what they feel is good music. From Rap to Jazz to Pop to Classical, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what they feel is the best kind of music.
With all these different opinions on music out there, there isn't allot of room for the pleasure one gets from music, to be shared with other groups. The more independent music becomes, the more popular it is becoming to like music that most other people don't actually like at all.
Therefore the question I pose is, people that get pleasure out of liking music for the simple fact that nobody else likes that kind of music, is the pleasure something that could be measured in the Utilitarian mindset of maximum pleasure?
I would distinguish the music we each prefer subjectively from the music that we would judge to be the best objectively, if we had sufficient experience and understanding of it. You can see a little bit of Mill lurking in this distinction.
ReplyDeleteIf I like something for no other reason than that I have it all to myself, I don't think it's really the music I like, but the secrecy or sense of superiority. Think of the dog in the manger, who wouldn't let the cows eat the hay, even though he had no interest in it himself as food (one of Lincoln's favorite figures). This seems like a kind of pleasure that would not rank very high on Mill's qualitative scale of pleasures. It counts as pleasure, of course, but it is not an elevated pleasure -- and tends to diminish pleasure overall, rather than foster it.
What of the composer and public, not appreciative of such "secret" music?
ReplyDeletePleasure has now been gained in two respects via the sole enjoyment of an individual whether based on superiority or legitimate musical appreciation AND the feeling of accomplishment on the part of the composer because he has an actual fan of his music regardless of this fans motivation.
Then take the public which truly loathes this style or song, etc. and realizes that the appreciation of the sole listener has prevented the necessity for such a dismal composer to a) try again b) incessantly advertise to them, the un-appreciative public. Pleasure now has extended three ways, hypothetically; to the listener due to actual appreciation or superiority, the composer for accomplishment, and the public for being relieved they don't have to listen to "that garbage."
Just a thought.
Need I clarify?