Qualities of Program Music
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Program music is any kind of music that is meant to conjure meaning outside of the music itself. It is the more prevalent of program and absolute music. Oftentimes, program music is meant to illustrate something "extramusically" with the music. This usually entails presenting something non-musically in musical terms. More times than not, program music is a narrative or story. Music that is embedded with representative content to convey this. This is almost always done vocally with the use of language and words, but sometimes sounds can be imitated by certain instruments. "In its broadest sense all music that offers a definite program, in the way of telling a story, describing a picture, imitating the sounds of Nature, or even suggesting some specific mood or feeling comes under the head of 'program music." (Great Program Music, pg. 1) Most that held/hold distaste for absolute music do so because of its obtuse and edgeless impression on them. The use of words makes the music more potent to these arbiters, and provides them with more clarity. (Dahlhaus, 18) And there are always those that are knowledgeable as to the idea behind wordless music, and find it ridiculous that music without words somehow carries a more supernatural message. |
