Comparing Music to Another Art Form - Simple Blog

1) The comparison of music to another art form.


I racked my brain to think of a comparable art form, however the comparison to dance and music, poetry and music, etc... seems a bit prosaic to me. Maybe because I really love music, and dance does not appeal as much. No matter the reason, I can clearly see the comparison with dance and music, though it is not a very deep comparison in retrospect. So I thought and I thought and the only close comparison I could come up with was the comparison of Music and Life. I thought there might be some semantics involved and even perhaps a debate on whether or not "life" is considered an "art" per say. According to Dictionary.com, one definition of art is - "Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature." The definition is there, makes sense and therefore can be used in the comparison.

In comparing Music and Life, there are many similarities - some similarities include the simple or understated version of, for instance, a beginning, a middle and an end to both a piece of music and life. However more deep and using some vocab to appease, there is a definite rhythm to life such as there is to music. It can be a simple rhythm like the leisure of vacation days, or a more complex rhythm of a harsh workday. Either way, it is the compilation of these rhythms in sync that makes the entire piece of music or a lifespan come together as a whole.

The tempo of life can be greatly compared to music as well. Just like any opus, collection or composition, life has a determined (not to be confused with pre-determined) tempo or pace. This tempo is directly correlated with the type of mood a person is feeling on that particular day. Much like the mood of music, if the person is feeling happy or sad, it will show in their daily tempo - such as how they walk, speak, write, etc... It also correlates on a grander and somewhat reaching scale - as with any type of music there is a mood, such as with any type of person there is a personality mood. Is the piece of music lively or slow? Is the person outgoing or shy?

Basically there are many ways to compare life and music. There are gradual crescendos, decrescendos in every day life and in the larger picture of life as well. There is a general melody to life as there is to music and depending on how the person is in life will change that form or how the performer plays a piece of music can change that form. There are numerous other ways I could describe this comparison however this is getting a bit too lengthy for the forum ;)

I am intrigued by the other answers so far on the forum. Especially the post by Janice Ketchum - very nicely spoken, clearly worded, and all together a moving comparison.

2) Live Performance Vs Recorded. (Explain which you like the best and why)

I prefer a live performance MUCH more than a recorded performance for the simple reason that during a live performance it is a first-person perspective and not a synthesized or mocked-up version. I also enjoy the symphony in person as opposed to on a recorded tape - when the tympani rolls I can feel my heart jump and contrast thumps with the beat of the drum. That is probably one of the best feelings with music is letting it flow through you and enjoying every beat with not only your ears, but your entire body.