Both art and music require a degree of intention and interpretation.
To define a collection of sounds as music, they must either be intended or interpreted. A chorus of birds are not chirping for the joy and interest of humans, and yet we hear their songs and think of them as music. Windchimes brushing against each other are not doing so with the intention of playing a song, but we interpret their sounds as music. We also hang wind chimes with the intention of hearing musical notes plink in the breeze. Waves crashing on a beach do not read a score as they oscillate, yet we find rhythm in their percussion. The sounds of everyday life might happen to arrange themselves into something that we recognize as music, such as glasses clinking together; something not intended as music but interpreted as music. And of course, music that is played, performed, and recorded by humans is intentional and thus definable as music.
‘Grapefruit’ by Yoko Ono is creative and unique, and indeed inspiring, or more so, thought-provoking. Is that not what art is? But unlike many drawings and paintings, ‘Grapefruit’ requires the imagination of the reader to be able to see the pieces as art. This is the hurdle of concept art that many less-imaginative people struggle to conquer, allowing them to overlook artistic potential. However, those who take the time, not even to do the exercises contained in ‘Grapefruit’, but to simply think about doing them, will discover the flow of thoughts and ideas that begin to churn within their minds as they interpret the pieces.
The question: “Does sound need to exist for there to be music?” is answered by the interpreter. Music is a manipulation of sounds meant to evoke emotion within the listener. Intentional silence is indeed a manipulation of sound which could make it music. For example, 4’33” by John Cage consists entirely of intentional silence, leaving the music element to be the soundscape that emerges from the audience. When thought of in this way, 4’33” can be defined as a piece of music. But without that interpretation, it would be difficult for one to hear the piece and think of it as music, if really, they are not hearing anything.
