Can music in and of itself tell anything about the mind of the person who composes or performs it? This question is of general philosophical interest, but it takes on more than philosophical significance in contexts where there is reason to think that music may be the only significant point of contact between one human being and another. There are no doubt several contexts of which this is true, but the one this author concentrates on is that of the autistic. This essay constructs, in a preliminary way, a conceptual context for the evaluation of music therapy in the care and treatment of the mentally and emotionally impaired. It presents the implications of the author's argument for music therapy and art therapy more generally. The author's central purpose in this essay is to present a philosophically plausible account and interpretation of the phenomenon of the musical "idiot savant." (Contains 5 notes.)