Yeah, that's about right, but it's not a yes/no proposition. The intent of the artist can add to a listener's appreciation of the art work and it can also be completely irrelevant. Can a person enjoy the music of Charlie Parker without knowing anything about the chords and scales he's using? Can you enjoy Max Roach or Sonny Rollins without understanding the Civil Rights Movement? Can you listen to Bach and not be a monotheist?
A freight train is rolling on the tracks and the engineer in accordance with Federal train regulations sounds the train horn as he approaches a road crossing. As Warren Zevon put it, "listen to the train whistle whine". In and of itself it's music and the train whistle has inspired people to create even more music. It's a wonderment!