Consideration Beneath the Notes: Understanding Composers from Carl Jung's Cognitive Functions
Abstract
One of the most magical things about music is where it comes from. Many works of art are clearly not words; usually they come from an abstract world that cannot be described by words. In fact, different composers create music in different ways: Some start with a concept, some search for ideas by improvising on the instruments, and some may just look at music theory rules to see what is possible. Difference in how a music work starts and forms can reflect a lot of the psychological world including the way composers perceive and judge. Therefore, it would be interesting for us to stand at the crossing of music and psychology to see which type of psychological tendency might be dominant for different composers from music composing point of view, leveraging Carl Jung's cognitive functions system.
References
- Jung, C. G. Psychological Types. Routledge, 2017.
- Johann Sebastian Bach: The Fifth Evangelist, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/musiciansartistsandwriters/johann-sebastian-bach.html
- Gardiner, John Eliot. Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven. Vintage Books, 2015.
- Parrott, Ruth. The Importance of Music in Different Religions, 2009, https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/mypad.northampton.ac.uk/dist/8/5781/files/2016/04/WR70-1psuxta.pdf.
- Blanning, Timothy T C. The Triumph of Music: The Rise of Composers, Musicians and Their Art. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010.
- Fee, George. "Claude Debussy: Seeker of the Inexpressible - Dersnah-Fee.com." Dersnah-Fee.com, http://dersnah-fee.com/ExploringGreatPianoComposers/Claude_Debussy_Seeker_of_the_Inexpressible.pdf.
- Weller, Luca. "Claude Debussy Analysis." IPL, 2015, https://www.ipl.org/document/FKL8QX74AJF6.