Musical Thinking
Authors: Rimas Juozas , Rimas Jr Juozas 
Published: September 2024

Musical thinking and musical logic (J. N. Forkel, J. F. Herbart). Thinking and logic; thinking for oneself (M. Heidegger, I. Kant). Thinking about music versus thinking music. Musical thinking as reflecting the aesthetic content of music: thought is acquiescence in Being, a giving of thanks for that which has been placed in our custody (das Denken dankt—“thinking thanks”: M. Heidegger). The rational transmission of intellectual content makes it easier to perceive emotional content (M. Budriūnas). 23.1. Reflection. Perceiving vs. reflection (E. Husserl). Thinking is secondary to our experiencing. Reflection is an individual’s ability to think only about the content of their thoughts (R. Descartes). Sensation vs. reflection (J. Locke). Without reflection, artistic expression is physical work: the self [le moi] must be lost in order to find the “I” [le je] (P. Ricoeur). 23.2. Intellect: The Ability to Recognise the Essence (G. Hegel). The mind is a manifestation of the intellect (J. Girnius). The intellect is the potential of the essence within a person. To understand (intelligere) means to read what is inside a thing (intus legere) (Thomas Aquinas). Sensuality (sound) vs. form (thought) (B. Pociej). The basic unit of musical thinking is intonation. Musical intellect and musical consciousness are conceptually interrelated. The mind (will) must be guided by the intellect (A. Schopenhauer). Recognition of the truth is essential for intellect (K. Wojtyla). 23.3. Musical Thought and Intuition. The role of the subconscious in the activity of intuitive acts. Musical consciousness is formed from musical impressions and information accumulated in the subconscious: latent thinking is the product of the artistic experience (S. Šalkauskis). The wider the range of interests, the richer the subconscious database. Sensuous intuition and categorical intuition (E. Husserl). 23.4. Musical Concept. The result of cognition, which reflects only the essential values of the object. It is only through the perception of an idea that can one gain access to what must be (S. Šalkauskis). The musical concept as knowledge that is non-verbal, non-signified, can only be disclosed in the coordinates of musical time. Conceptuality is a condition for the meaningfulness of expression. 23.5. The Hearing of Meaning or Meaning in Myself. “Open”, syntactical and semantic listenings (L. Ferrara). The meaning of music is revealed only to the perceiving consciousness. Aesthetic consciousness. 23.6. Operands. Real-sounding and abstract (M. Aranovskiy). The tendency in every idea to resolve itself into action; entelechy (M. de Unamuno; Aristotle). To think is to see what “is”, but for whose utterance an adequate way of expressing itself has not yet been found (A. Šliogeris). 23.7. Some Approaches to Musical Thinking. Music and feelings; “forms set in motion by sounding” (E. Hanslick) vs. musical form as a process (B. Asaf’ev). Knowledge of music. Reproduction (expression) of the substance requires no less force than its creation (R. Descartes). Abstract understanding of music in the process of perceiving it (J. F. Herbart). Aesthetic perception as a stream of holistic impressions (G. Fechner). Sensory and rational cognition (E. Husserl, M. Heidegger, R. Müller-Freienfels). Music is the expression of psychic energy through external (sonic) means (E. Kurth). B. Asaf’ev criticises Kurth for not using the term “intonation”. Music represents rational activity: music is an art of intoned meaning (B. Asaf’ev).