One goal of Music for Contemplation is to create a space where someone can take time out of his or her day and just be.
Since April 5th on the Peckinpah Trios concert, I've been considering the comment made by an attentive listener: he liked it, but wasn't sure whether it was music.
Andrew Lafkas, Barry Weissblatt and Rick Brown
Listening to the rehearsal of Andrew Lafkas' new work Two Paths with Active Shadows under Three Moons and Surveillance (Second Phase), it's become more clear to me what is going on in these compositions. The purpose is not to delight or entertain, but to create a place for the listener to let his or her thoughts wander free.
Sitting at the Church of the Annunciation, I was able to let go of all the thoughts concerning my day-to-day life (including bills, when to be where, which emails I needed to respond to, how many pairs of clean underwear I had left) and just be in the space that Andrew had created.
Page from the score of Andrew Lafkas' Two Paths with Active Shadows under Three Moons and Surveillance (Second Phase)
For me, the definition of music includes sound that has this as its purpose. If listeners enjoy it as non-music, that's OK too.