Musical Meaning and the Semiotic Hierarchy: Towards a Cognitive Semiotics of Music

Research on the meaning of music has a long tradition, with approaches from several fields, but it lacks coherent framework for interdisciplinary discussions. As result, notion in is fragmented among contrasting perspectives. I propose cognitive-semiotic approach to analysis evoked by listening, adopting that eludes disciplinary limitations and expands phenomenological concept intentionality. For this purpose, apply Zlatev’s Semiotic Hierarchy experience listening music, analysing diversity meaning-making processes involved as distributed layers experience. an updated version Hierarchy, clarifying its structure based possibilities meaning-making, allowing temporality pervade throughout all layers. highlight connectedness simultaneity different kinds intentionality, resulting addition dimension aesthetic – which analyze characterizing culture-general listening. A key claim experiencing aesthetically articulates listener’s body their inner sense space time, making them feel movement vitality. This grounds semiotic system, connecting fostering virtually uncountable subject-relative culture-specific acts.