V.N. Kholopova Specialized and Non-Specialized Musical Content

Abstract: The object of this work is one of the newest Russian theories – the theory of musical content, which the author of the present articles is one of the generators. This method of research has a musicological direction, but is contiguous to philosophy. The author considers the well-known philosophical dyad “form-content” inapplicable to the art of music, since in practice these notions turn out to be poorly differentiated from each other, which leads to confusion. In their place a dichotomy of conceptions of a notional type is offered, which the author called the “specialized and non-specialized content” of music. Content is the expressive-notional essence of music. Specialized content belongs solely to music; it is formed by the content of sound, intervals, chords, modes and tonality, melody, rhythm, texture, timbre, sonority, thematicism, musical form, etc. Non-specialized content is present both in music and beyond it: human emotions, depicted objects (birds, the movement of sea waves, the warbling of the brook, the noise of the approaching train, the sound of a clock, movement of human beings – steps, running, etc.), as well as various ideas. Both the described concepts and terms and the theoretical elaboration of the ability to analyze the art of music from the position of broad notional categories present a new phenomenon in music theory.

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