Reflections on music and meaning: Metaphor, signification and control in the Bulgarian case

Musical meaning is examined from three perspectives, with ethnographic examples from Bulgarian music. First, music's significance for human life and its very nature are understood through metaphorical predication ‐for example, music is art; music is social behaviour; music is commodity; music is symbol or text. Interpretations of musical signification result from processes of identity, iconicity, association and contrast, which help to create multiple meanings for music. Finally, while states and other institutions often try to control music's meaning, its polyvalent nature and the differing social and historical positions of its interpreters militate against all such efforts.