#Words usually dictate - that is their downfall. Too often we see or hear words and act according to their instuction, or repeat them, without pausing to think about what they mean to us; what they might mean to someone else; and what the consequences might be of them being undestood differently, or taken out of context . #Music has the distinct position of being able to narrate where words fail to capture a nuance or suggestion. Music can #evoke. It doesn’t carry a prescribed meaning, and so the listener has to actively think about one. More often we are unsure about how to describe the ‘meaning’ of what we have listened to. We desperately want someone else to ‘feel the same’. Music’s #narration humbles us. That is probably why it is often called a #noble art.
Brahms’ ‘Edward’ Ballade Opus 10 no. 1 gives a sense of the drama and tragedy, but relies on the listener to narrate it for themselves. No instructions. Just their power of empathy and willingness to make sense of what unfolds around them.