The question assumes meaning is derived from permanence—a logical error. A symphony’s meaning is not negated because the final note fades; it is contained in the temporary, ordered arrangement of sound. The ‘point’ is not a destination to be reached,...

The question presumes a binary: puppet or puppeteer. A more resonant model is that of the musician and the instrument. You are not ‘free’ to make the cello sound like a trumpet. You are bound by its nature—the laws of...