#5 - Concept Reference, Must be True, Author's Perspective

[amydg]

Why is this not C? I thought necessary and essential would basically mean the same thing.

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi Amy,

Schoenberg's music is necessary not because of the 12-tone system, but because of the emotional states it evokes. The phrase "not because of the 12-tone system" eliminates C, and the next sentence leads us to the correct answer (D).

[UnicornChainsaw]

Hello!
This was my only miss in this section and I am having trouble understanding why the correct answer choice is "D" and not "A".
In line 42 the author says Schenberg's level of technical mastery is "awe-inspiring" later in lines 50-53 he says that displaying the emotional states that had never been captured before, was "essential".

Why would something described as 'essential' show that something was valued more highly than something that was described as 'awe-inspiring'?

Thank you for your help!!

-UC

[Adam Tyson]

The answer to that question, UC, can be found beginning at line 45, with this:

But the real issue for any piece of music is not how it is made, but what it has to say.

Read from there through the end and you'll see that, while the author certainly admires Schoenberg’s technical mastery, it's importance is secondary to the emotional aspects of his work. The technical stuff is great, but that's not why we needed him, not why we would have had to invent him if he had not existed. See if that language doesn't convince you that the author doesn't value the emotional aspects more than the technical ones. I know I'm sold!

[younghoon27]

Hi,

I choose E instead of D, is E incorrect because what is described as answer E serves merely as evidence to back up why Schoenburg is awesome to the author? I figure my 2nd choice D is because Schoenburg does something that really revolutionizes music. Am I wrong to see this as the cause?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi younghoon27,

It's fair to say that the author places some value on Schoenberg's progression through three different styles of music. After all, lines 20-25 say that "Like Beethoven, Schoenberg worked in a constantly changing and evolving musical style that acknowledged tradition while simultaneously lighting out for new territory. This is true of the three different musical styles through which Schoenberg’s music evolved." To compare Schoenberg to Beethoven (someone the author obviously admires) means the author considers change and evolution to be a valuable element of Schoenberg's musical career. And to say that Schoenberg "acknowledged tradition while ... lighting out for new territory" indicates some respect for the fact that Schoenberg knew where he'd come from (tradition) but could do something new and unique.

The problem with answer choice E, though, is that the author never says or implies that these three styles are the thing he or she values most about Schoenberg. That kind of superlative language doesn't come until the last paragraph, when (as Adam helpfully points out) the author says that "the real issue for any piece of music is not how it is made, but what it has to say." If an issue is "the real issue," that means the author thinks it's the most important one. So the last paragraph about depicting new emotional states is the thing the author thinks is most important.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[younghoon27]

It does thank you!