What is it?

[Karl Henning]

As a tangent to a post in another thread which spoke of some music which matters and some which does not . . . just what is it which makes music matter?

[North Star]

The listener (or score-reader. . .) - who can also be the one making the music.

[Florestan]

Music which matters... to whom?

Music which doesn't matter... to whom?

Context is everything. 

[Karl Henning]

The listener (or score-reader. . .) - who can also be the one making the music.

Yes;  and one reason why I doubt that there can be art that simply does not matter.

[North Star]

Yes;  and one reason why I doubt that there can be art that simply does not matter.

I don't think it could be called art if it didn't matter to anyone.

[Florestan]

I don't think it could be called art if it didn't matter to anyone.

What is art, anyway? 

[San Antone]

As a tangent to a post in another thread which spoke of some music which matters and some which does not . . . just what is it which makes music matter?

First of all I reject the premise.  IMO all music matters; in fact everything matters: at some time, to someone, somewhere. 

[Karl Henning]

What is art, anyway? 

I see what you did there . . . .

[Karl Henning]

First of all I reject the premise.  IMO all music matters; in fact everything matters: at some time, to someone, somewhere. 

The existence of the object, then, is the matter.  So to speak.

[Mirror Image]

The title of the thread thread makes me think of this Faith No Moore song:

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZG_k5CSYKhg

[Moonfish]

This song is dedicated to the topic of this thread....

https://www.youtube.com/v/j0I2ZrBuFdQ

[pjme]

 Art?

To me , very often, it remains an

https://youtu.be/trkFgIMC-Ks

[Karl Henning]

Thanks everyone for your participation.

[EigenUser]

Art?

To me , very often, it remains an

https://youtu.be/trkFgIMC-Ks

I disagree. It's more of an

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMLnoe957Ls

[North Star]

Art?

To me , very often, it remains an

https://youtu.be/trkFgIMC-Ks

Nate didn't let this remain an unquestioned answer.

[Purusha]

Art in itself doesn't matter. Sometimes it can be used to express things from that which truly matters (the one thing useful), but in and of itself it has no value.

[Karl Henning]

"in and of itself it has no value":  isn't that true of everything?  "Value" is imposed by those who desire the commodity, yes?

[jochanaan]

What measure do we use to decide whether something matters?  Money?  "Bah!  Humbug!" 

Fulfilling a need in humankind?  That comes much closer.  Art is not food nor drink, without which our physical beings will wither and die; but it seems to fill a need in our spirits, so that without art (music, story, poetry, painting and sculpture, or whatever art may come along--video games seem to be a new art form), our spirits wither and die even while our bodies and minds still walk.  So, by that measure, art most definitely matters.

But the moment we begin to try to say "This art matters, this doesn't," we begin to insult, discriminate against or otherwise deny the value of something someone holds very dear, at least potentially.  So to say that any art does not matter is. as many have said, false on its face.  (Wellllllll, there is "art" produced for and by companies and corporations for the sole purpose of increasing sales and thereby profits, which tends to matter only to corporate bottom lines; that may be the closest we can come to defining a class of art that does not matter.)

[Florestan]

(Wellllllll, there is "art" produced for and by companies and corporations for the sole purpose of increasing sales and thereby profits, which tends to matter only to corporate bottom lines; that may be the closest we can come to defining a class of art that does not matter.)

Some examples of that, please. 

[Karl Henning]

Some examples of that, please. 

The Geico gecko.