Page 76 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo, letnik 20, zvezek 40 ◆ The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, volume 20, issue 40

sound space, vectors serve as a non-unique ‘basis’ that represents a sound relati-
glasbenopedagoški zbornik ◆ letnik/volume 20 ◆ številka/number 40
ve to a specific basis. The composer assigns values to the ‘coordinates’, i.e. deter-
mines which aspects of the sounds will be incorporated into the sound space.
If musical elements are considered to be spatial constructs and (accor-
ding to numerous studies), are interrelated, and can be combined in an infini-
te number of ways in the composer’s ‘playground’, i.e. musical space, then it is
evident that using only verticality or horizontality in the placement of musical
elements in a musical space is simply insufficient.
The understanding of the spatial organization can serve only as a parti-
al description and explanation of the compositions’ structure, as well as a par-
tial explanation of why we comprehend it the way we do, whether we compre-
hend a piece in performance, when reading the score, or when considering it
retrospectively (McDermott, 1972).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS

This article discusses the lack of defined standards for formalizing musical el-
ements; the interchangeability of various terms demonstrates the absence of
a distinct formalization of musical concepts. Assuming that a listener’s pri-
mary interest is in listening to a musical work, ambiguous information can
be problematic when discussing what was heard in a more general or detailed
(analytical) manner. This is especially true in written communication, where
nonverbal cues are absent and there is no immediate feedback to elucidate the
meaning of a particular term.
12
To avoid misunderstandings resulting from ambiguity, it is essential to
strive for clarity in the use of musical terms, which entails employing preci-
se and clear definitions while being, of course, attentive to alternative inter-
pretations. According to Rahn (1979), the formation of a concept typically en-
tails the formulation of a definition. Rahn argues that a definition should be
(i) eliminable, i.e. that the defined expression can be replaced by the defining
phrase in any and all contexts without changing the value of the truth that it
represents, and (ii) non-creative, which implies that the definition does not ge-
nerate any new ‘theories’ in which the defined term does not appear (Rahn,
1979, p. 115).
The comparison of musical element, musical parameter, and musical di-
mension has demonstrated that these terms are used loosely and interchan-
geably in music studies and in the wider community, despite the fact that ele-
ment, parameter, and dimension do not have the same meaning. According to
Rahn (1979) and his proposed conditions for a definition, none of the existing

12 This does not mean that even in verbal communication ambiguity cannot arise due to word
choice.

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