Harmony, metaphors & gestures : why Plato's & Wittgenstein's thoughts on music matter

I contend that music is like a language and it complements language. I present my thesis\ud against the backdrop of two investigations: (a) similarities between Plato???s and\ud Wittgenstein???s thoughts on music and (b) two theoretical approaches of understanding\ud music. My first investigation involves the examination of two unlikely colleagues, Plato\ud and Wittgenstein. I examine how each deals with music with an emphasis on the\ud resemblance between their views on harmony, metaphors, and gestures. Their views lend\ud support to my view that music is like a language and it complements it. Second, I\ud investigate two theoretical approaches that are used to explain music: emotive-content\ud approach and music formalism. I briefly summarize these approaches and show where I\ud differ from some of the theorists of formalism. Last I draw on the preceding\ud investigations to show how music can be viewed like a language and complements i