Haydon's Lecture Analyzes 'Intrinsic Music Experience'

"The problem of meaning in music is contained in the acceptance of either the autonomous or heteronomous theories," Glen Haydon, Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina, said last week in his Lamont lecture.

The autonomous (intrinsic) theory, he explained, is "found in all aspects of musical experience"; it has "both an intellectual and intuitive side to its perception." Haydon added that in this theory, the music is "intellectually perceived and emotionally felt." Further understanding and new meaning are what makes the composition continuously interesting, he added.

Haydon believes that in the heteronomous (extrinsic) theory "the composer translates into sounds the feeling that is in him prior to the musical composition." In this theory, "composition is the translation of life feelings into tone; the music sounds the way the emotions feel."

Reconciled Viewpoints

Reconciliation of the two viewpoints is possible by one's acceptance of the autonomous theory as having primary and direct importance; and the heteronomous theory as being of secondary and indirect value, Haydon continued. He asserted that the interweaving of the two theories "provides for a wide range of functioning of perceptual and conceptual meanings."

"The ideas of time, movement, and space are interwoven into our intrinsical musical experience," Haydon emphasized.

Haydon concluded the lecture by saying that "the peculiar expressive quality attributed to music is an essential meaningful element in it, which the layman has difficulty in expressing discursively." He added that "the slight movement of the tone, with the 'vibrato,' is felt as life; our concept of life depends on an awareness of movement . . . therefore music should become an extremely vital part of life."