Balancing Logic and Emotion: A Stoic Composer’s Approach

I’ve been mulling over an interesting question lately, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. As someone with a background in biomedical engineering, I’m drawn to structure and precision, but my passion for music composition often pulls me toward emotional expression. It got me wondering: how would a Stoic composer navigate this balance?

Stoicism emphasizes rationality and control over emotions, yet music thrives on feeling and spontaneity. Would a Stoic prioritize tight, logical forms sonatas with clear development, fugues with mathematical precision or would they see emotion as an inevitable, even valuable, part of the creative process?

I’m curious if anyone has examples of composers or pieces that feel Stoic in their approach. Or maybe you’ve wrestled with this tension yourself in your own work. How do you reconcile discipline with creativity?

Oh wow, how fascinating that you’ve managed to overthink music into a math problem. Maybe just let people enjoy things?

hic mannnn… stoic music jus’ sounds like my ex… all cold n’ calculated… but , even robots gotta feel sumtimes, righ’? burp