Model and Concept in the Music Paradigm of Creativity

Abstract

Composers who create music always make use of certain ideas as their main points of reference.
In other words, the composer works by creating a certain foundation in his mind. Music is an
expression of thoughts contained in the composer’s ideas of sound. The composer who thinks
about certain topics for his musical composition generally comes up with cognizing certain objects
of thought, for example, certain unusual or unique values understood and favored by him, so that
he feels the need to express them. The objects of thought targeted by composers are those that suit
their personal tastes and interests. Epistemologically the process of creating music departs from
verbal discourse and produces musical discourse. The latter occurs in the epistemology of the
creation of music in general, and may be perceived in various musical genres, including that of
gamelan music. The complexity of the discourse, on which composers’ thinking is oriented, is the
paradigm of all music composition. This paradigm is comprised of eight important elements, which
include two interesting components, namely, the model and concept. This article makes the attempt
to comprehend the elements of models and concepts in music composition. Models can be present
in an auditive, visual or conceptual form present in the imagination of the composer. Composers
consciously choose to present this element in the form of musical works as an empirical and symbolic
reality. The concept is an explanation of the models existing in the composer’s imagination. The
explanation is related to the function and meaning of the model. The two elements of the paradigm
are the minimum requirements that must be developed in the mind of the composer before he sets
down to compose music.

Keywords: epistemology, composing music, paradigm, model, concept.