Radiohead and Philosophy - Brandon W. Forbes [26]
This problem has long been the major concern of the emotion theory. An obvious reply to this difficulty is to claim that the music in itself doesn’t express emotion, since only humans, or psychological agents, can do that. Rather than actually embodying emotion, music is the means or method by which the composer expresses his or her emotions. That sounds reasonable, but how does music accomplish this neat trick of expressing the composer’s emotion? Furthermore, if the audience does not feel or experience the emotion that the composer intended to transmit through the song, does that mean it is not a song? If the emotion theory is correct, then a bad song writer cannot make art, since they’ve failed to express the emotions that they wanted to express (and, as you’ll recall, art is defined as an expression of emotion). But that’s absurd, for a botched song is still a song!
Likewise, can we really know the emotions that Thom, Jonny, and the rest of the group intended to express through their music? Take “Like Spinning Plates”: while the lyrics seem to express anguish, and the music has a complex, regular rhythm, along with quirky harmonies and sound effects, it does not have the really harsh or dissonant tones and rhythms that one might expect if anguish were the sole intention. Indeed, the otherworldly or abstract character of the music in this song makes pinpointing the exact emotion very difficult. As some have commented, the lyrics of Kid A and Amnesiac are, in general, also fairly abstract. And since abstraction does not convey a straightforward or clear-cut emotional message, it’s often difficult to know exactly what specific emotion was intended by the lyrics as well. Furthermore, even if we think we have a pretty clear idea on what type of emotion is being expressed in the music, such as anguish in “Like Spinning Plates,” it’s also true that these types of dark emotions can come in many different forms, and with many different nuances. So, which emotion was intended? Besides, what does anguish, or joy, anger, and so on, sound like when translated into music? If there are many disagreements among composers, as there is bound to be, then music is probably a pretty poor method of expressing emotion; therefore, music must have another purpose.
Another problem for the emotion theory is that many philosophers hold that the composer must have actually had the experience in their own life in order to transmit that emotion through their music. Yet, why should that be the case? Even if Thom’s life had been really easy-going, and he had never experienced deeply sad or dark feelings, it seems perfectly reasonable to assume that he could still possess the musical skills required to write a sad song. Many novelists write convincingly about murderers or politicians, or other types of people that they’ve never been or maybe ever met. So, why can’t song writers create songs about emotions that they haven’t had?
Finally, one can raise a number of problems for the emotion theory that shows that this definition of music is too broad, that is, it allows things to count as music that aren’t music. For instance, if music is a created and structured sound that expresses emotion, then it would seem that angry drivers who blast their car horns are also making music! An advocate of the emotion theory might reply by claiming that there must be an audience, and that the main intention of the created sound must be to express emotion (and not for another reason, like for the driver in front of you to wake up and start moving since the light has turned green). So, since blasting a car horn doesn’t meet those last conditions, it can’t be music. But, in response, not only do