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A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth (Random House). In music this translates into the appearance or juxtaposition of musical elements that do not conform to previous norms or expectations, or procedures already set up within a piece. For example, Daniel Chua argues that Beethoven's quartets became increasingly paradoxical, representing both an extension and a negation of the classical language (Chua, The Galitzin Quartets of Beethoven, p. 5).