The Looking Glass

CHAMOD SAMARASINGHE Classical music is an unusual art. It is dominated by a few pieces which are far more popular than everything else which has been composed within the past few centuries. When compared to Beethoven’s fifth symphony, Bach’s toccata in d minor, Handel’s messiah and fur Elise (and a few others), everything else is a comparative blur to most. Scholars could argue that this is due to their memorable nature and overall simplicity (for the listener, not the composer), but there is one notable exception to this rule: Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. While the opening melody is certainly ear-catching and repetitive, everything else seems deliberately ambiguous, perfectly melancholy, and at times downright unusual. 

NOAH BUCKLE Note: As the present article relies heavily on the argumentation of Kant (comprising, more or less, a presentation or interpretation of the basics of his moral philosophy), I have not indicated in every case where Kant is quoted directly, choosing instead to supplement each discussion with a citation of the relevant passage(s). I see a great deal of value in his ethics, so much so that I feel it necessary only to reiterate the words of Jean Paul Richter: “For heaven’s sake, buy two books: Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and [his] Critique of Practical Reason !”