Music and the meaning of water

Abstract

This paper discusses water as a source of inspiration in music and more generally in the arts. Water, it is proposed, has lost its 'innocence' in the contemporary world as shown by widespread debates about climate change and environmental degradation. Water is discussed both as a physical object and as a symbol; specifically, how water relates to the author's work as a composer in a wide range of music created over 30 years. Works by Andrew Schultz that are discussed include, Beach Burial, Black River, Dead Songs, Diver's Lament, Journey to Horseshoe Bend, The Meaning of Water, Peace, Sea-Change and Southern Ocean. The literary, artistic and political backgrounds to each work are discussed. The discussion also includes the ways in which observation of water in the natural world (for example, ocean waves, river flow and torrential rain) has been used as source of ideas for composition.Philosophical and aesthetic concepts such as catharsis, violence and repose are discussed and a diagrammatic general model for understanding the transformation of water into art is proposed. Concepts discussed also include ideas about the universality of water symbolism from Sigmund Freud, Veronica Strang and indigenous Australian cultures. The work of other artists and writers, including Pablo Neruda, Edward Baugh, Kenneth Slessor and Margaret Scott, is briefly discussed in the context of their use of imagery and metaphors related to water and specifically in terms of how they have influenced musical compositions by the author.