Essay Prompt 1:
In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato discusses the disconnect between reality (science) and imagery (fantasy). Draw on your musical experience to describe several ways by which the public (social context) may be manipulated (commercial exploitation or fostering of taste) in music. For example: loud is better than soft; new is better than old; electronic is better than acoustic; music with words is better than abstract instrumental music. How do similar kinds of pressures shape the musical choices of the church musicians in the Middle Ages--the plainchant composer, Hildegard of Bingen, and Pérotin? How would Descartes's process for arriving at the truth, as described in his Fourth Meditation: Of Truth and Error, help a musician to stay true to an authentic aesthetic vision?
GENERAL CHECKLIST: Does the paper have a clearly discernible introduction, body and conclusion? Is it divided into distinct paragraphs, with topic sentences? Does the paper proceed by means of thoughtful development of its ideas to a logical conclusion? (3 pages)