Musical argument

rdf:langString Musical argument

rdf:langString A musical argument is a means of creating tension through the relation of expressive content and musical form: Traditional dialectal music is representational: the musical form relates to an expressive content and is a means of creating a growing tension; this is what is usually called the musical argument. — Wim Mertens (1999) Experimental musics may use process or indeterminacy rather than argument. The musical argument may be characterized as the primary flow and current idea being presented in a piece: The very definition of musical argument is something that keeps going, and you uncover new details and new combinations. A musical argument is not the same as a verbal argument. A verbal argument implies that there's [sic] two sides; a musical argument makes the two sides one thing, like counterpoint. A fugue is like that; a double fugue, at least, takes two different ideas and shows you how they relate, and it shows you how they're the same thing. — Phil Lesh (1982) Thus one may hear of a musical argument being interrupted, extended, or repeated.