Overview

Musical Formalism is a rigorous approach to the aesthetics of music. It argues that music is a self-contained language. Unlike a painting (which might depict a landscape) or a novel (which tells a story), music—specifically instrumental music—does not “represent” anything outside itself. Its beauty lies in the internal relationships of its sounds. This stands in opposition to “expressionism” or “program music,” which claims music communicates specific emotions or narratives.

Core Idea

The core idea is autonomy. Music is autonomous; it follows its own rules. The famous dictum by Eduard Hanslick, the father of musical formalism, is that the content of music is “tonally moving forms” (tönend bewegte Formen). We enjoy music not because it makes us sad or happy (which is subjective), but because we appreciate the intelligent construction of the sound.

Formal Definition

Formalism asserts that the aesthetic value of a work of music is located in its formal properties: the development of themes, the interplay of harmonies, the rhythmic structure, and the overall architecture of the piece.

Intuition

Think of a Bach fugue. It is a complex mathematical puzzle of weaving voices. It doesn’t tell a story about a shepherd or a storm. It is beautiful because of the way the notes fit together, the logic of the counterpoint. If you feel “sad” while listening to it, a formalist would say that is your personal reaction, not the meaning of the music itself. The music is the structure.

Examples

  • Absolute Music: Instrumental music without a title or program (e.g., “Symphony No. 5 in C Minor”). This is the ideal of formalism.
  • Program Music: Music intended to evoke images or convey the impression of events (e.g., Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons). Formalists would argue the “program” is irrelevant to the musical value.
  • Serialism: The 12-tone technique of Schoenberg is a highly formalist approach, organizing pitches according to strict mathematical rules rather than traditional expressive harmony.

Common Misconceptions

  • It means music has no emotion: Formalists don’t deny that music causes emotion. They deny that the meaning of the music is the emotion. The emotion is a byproduct of perceiving the form.
  • It’s cold and academic: While it emphasizes structure, formalists argue that the intellectual engagement with form is a profound and moving aesthetic experience (like solving a beautiful theorem).
  • Aesthetic Judgment: Formalism aligns with Kant’s idea of disinterested judgment—focusing on the form rather than the emotional effect.
  • New Criticism: A literary theory that parallels musical formalism, focusing on the text itself rather than the author’s biography or historical context.
  • Ineffability: The idea that what music expresses cannot be put into words. Formalism supports this by saying music expresses musical ideas, which have no verbal translation.

Applications

  • Music Analysis: Formalism is the basis of most music theory (analyzing chords, keys, and structures).
  • Composition: Many modern composers focus on the exploration of sound structures rather than “self-expression.”
  • Performance: A formalist performer might focus on clarity and precision of the score rather than adding excessive “rubato” or emotional interpretation.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Cultural Context: Formalism ignores the social and political context of music. It treats a symphony as if it exists in a vacuum, ignoring how it reflects the values of its time.
  • The Listener’s Experience: Most listeners do experience music emotionally and narratively. Formalism can seem disconnected from the actual human experience of listening.
  • Lyrics: Formalism struggles to account for vocal music, where the text clearly provides external meaning.

Further Reading

  • Hanslick, Eduard. The Beautiful in Music. 1854.
  • Kivy, Peter. The Corded Shell: Reflections on Musical Expression. 1980.
  • Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaning in Music. 1956.