Significance and Meaning (the Given and the Goal)

In terms of significance, the text is a sequence of signs, but in terms of meaning, the text appears as a semantic unit (as a creative work). Significance is a reference to what is human; meaning is a reference to what is beyond human (A. Šliogeris). Anything acquires meaning if it refers to something beyond itself (M. K. Cohen). Consciousness is nothing apart from its ideal object, that is, the essence, the eidos (D. Stewart, A. Mickunas). Knowing what you would like to understand is a contribution to the creation of order in one’s actions (R. Brague). In music, intonation can be considered synonymous with meaning since it is only through intonation that the meaning—the idea—is manifested. The self-contained autonomy of the musical code (G. Steiner). Meaning never emerges as a final given thing (J. Kubilius): interpretation, as access to meaning, is a never-ending action. The prefix ex- indicates direction from something: the ex- direction—in the case of expression—is an action moving from the understood meaning to its external manifestation in sound. The grasp of meaning requires a competent relationship with the text of the musical work, founded on knowledge of general and musical culture.