A musical idea is a musical concept that is expressed through music. Musical ideas are composers’ creations that represent the conceptual pieces of their artwork, rather than being ideas about music. A musical idea is defined by some as the creation of a theme or musical combination. Others simply delegate the task of defining musical concepts to the composer.
Certain types of music philosophy are compatible with the use of musical ideas. Many of these philosophies were more prominently entertained during the eras of classical or instrumental music than they are now among composers in the mainstream. While today’s music market is primarily driven by market forces, music was once a means of expressing a wide range of ideas, including but not limited to psychological impulses, commentaries, and even higher mathematics concepts.
Musical ideas are rarely accessed by listeners, according to experts. Many music professors believe that musical ideas are usually at a higher level than what is heard by the average listener. They are regarded as a kind of elite aspect that can only be comprehended by trained musicians.
Studying the use of fugues in the era in which they were primarily used can provide an example of musical ideas. Listeners could identify certain themes or patterns that some would call musical ideas by analyzing the fugue’s overall construction and organization. Listeners may recognize smaller parts of the music, such as arpeggios, counterpoint, and other types of note structures, as well as the repetition of motifs and other patterns in a larger musical setting, when attempting to identify a musical idea.
Because musical ideas are highly subjective and strongly linked to other theories, such as literary theory, it is necessary for those seeking musical ideas to read widely about musical composition and other art forms. The student can gradually develop a more vibrant idea of what would constitute a musical idea, and how these ideas might be expressed in sound, by evaluating how established composers come up with pieces of music and learning more about how artistic theory works in general. Reading the work of composers from various periods can also help you understand how musical ideas were used in different eras.