[Lyric] Music as Advocate (Friedrich Nietzsche)

" I have a longing for a master of the musical art," said an innovator to his disciple, " that he may learn from me my ideas and speak them more widely in his language : I shall thus be better able to reach men's ears and hearts. For by means of tones one can seduce men to every error and every truth : who could refute a tone?" " You would, therefore, like to be regarded as irrefutable?" said his disciple. The innovator answered : " I should like the germ to become a tree. In order that a doctrine may become a tree, it must be believed in for a considerable period ; in order that it may be believed in it must be regarded as irrefutable. Storms and doubts and worms and wickedness are necessary to the tree, that it may manifest its species and the strength of its germ ; let it perish if it is not strong enough! But a germ is always merely destroyed, not refuted! " When he had said this, his disciple called out impetuously: "But I believe in your cause, and regard it as so strong that I will say everything against it, everything that I still have in my heart." The innovator laughed to himself and threatened the disciple with his finger. "This kind of discipleship," said he then, "is the best, but it is dangerous, and not every kind of doctrine can stand it."