Not too long ago, I happened to listen to Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2; I think there was more emphasis on creating elaborate patterns of sounds than on producing what some call “nice” music. As a result, enjoyment from listening such a piece seems to come not because one wants to hum and remember any easily recognizable patterns but because one can mentally grasp the intricacy of the work and the sophistication of the composer. Classical music of such a feature seems to be of interest of only few people, many of whom are professional musicians (I am not). Maybe one could say that classical music has lost its intuition. I have the impression that a similar phenomenon happens with mathematics: early mathematics, such as arithmetic, might be seen as more intuitive than modern mathematics, such as mathematical logic or abstract algebra. Yet, I have heard people refer to both as art. This then has led me to think that they could be categorized as “academic art,” which I define as a highly codified activity with the idea that to produce something new is still possible.

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