Tamara Levitz
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199730162
- eISBN:
- 9780199932467
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730162.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter interprets Stravinsky’s faith by analyzing how he composed the opening of Perséphone, and the central gesture of Demeter entrusting Persephone to the nymphs. The goal is to demonstrate ...
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This chapter interprets Stravinsky’s faith by analyzing how he composed the opening of Perséphone, and the central gesture of Demeter entrusting Persephone to the nymphs. The goal is to demonstrate how Stravinsky, in contrast to Gide, submitted his will to Christian dogma, rather than trusting in individual action. In dialogue with his Christian friends, Pyotr Suvchinsky, Charles-Albert Cingria, and Jacques Maritain (and to a lesser degree Domenico de Paoli and Ernst Ansermet), Stravinsky developed a Christian compositional approach that led to a sacred formalism based on revelation through artistic materials, mythical consciousness of music history, the promulgation of dogma through emblematic gesture, and sound as a divine force. This led him to side with Demeter as a representative of Church authority, rather than with Gide’s sensitive Persephone. Stravinsky’s approach put him diametrically at odds with André Gide.Less
This chapter interprets Stravinsky’s faith by analyzing how he composed the opening of Perséphone, and the central gesture of Demeter entrusting Persephone to the nymphs. The goal is to demonstrate how Stravinsky, in contrast to Gide, submitted his will to Christian dogma, rather than trusting in individual action. In dialogue with his Christian friends, Pyotr Suvchinsky, Charles-Albert Cingria, and Jacques Maritain (and to a lesser degree Domenico de Paoli and Ernst Ansermet), Stravinsky developed a Christian compositional approach that led to a sacred formalism based on revelation through artistic materials, mythical consciousness of music history, the promulgation of dogma through emblematic gesture, and sound as a divine force. This led him to side with Demeter as a representative of Church authority, rather than with Gide’s sensitive Persephone. Stravinsky’s approach put him diametrically at odds with André Gide.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199241583
- eISBN:
- 9780191597329
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199241589.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This book provides a contextualist ontology of musical works, distinguishing works for playback from ones for performance and, among the latter, studio from live performances. Works are variously ...
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This book provides a contextualist ontology of musical works, distinguishing works for playback from ones for performance and, among the latter, studio from live performances. Works are variously thick or thin to the extent that they determine details of their faithful renditions. Through the element of interpretation, performances are richer in constitutive properties than are the works they faithfully present. Features of the musico‐historical context in which the work is created affect what the composer can make work‐determinative via the scores he issues as instructions to performers. Scores must be read in terms of the notional conventions and musical practices they take for granted. To be of a work, a performance must match its contents, must intentionally follow the work‐determinative instructions, and must be tied by a robust causal chain to the work's creation. Also, the performance must be at least minimally faithful, so the work can be recognized in it. Authenticity is a virtue in a performance, and only small departures from the ideal are acceptable when made for the sake of an interesting interpretation. Non‐Western music can remain authentic if it assimilates influences and changes in ways compatible with its traditions and values. Recordings simulate live performances or create virtual ones and, because the medium is not transparent, are to be understood and appreciated differently from live music‐making.Less
This book provides a contextualist ontology of musical works, distinguishing works for playback from ones for performance and, among the latter, studio from live performances. Works are variously thick or thin to the extent that they determine details of their faithful renditions. Through the element of interpretation, performances are richer in constitutive properties than are the works they faithfully present. Features of the musico‐historical context in which the work is created affect what the composer can make work‐determinative via the scores he issues as instructions to performers. Scores must be read in terms of the notional conventions and musical practices they take for granted. To be of a work, a performance must match its contents, must intentionally follow the work‐determinative instructions, and must be tied by a robust causal chain to the work's creation. Also, the performance must be at least minimally faithful, so the work can be recognized in it. Authenticity is a virtue in a performance, and only small departures from the ideal are acceptable when made for the sake of an interesting interpretation. Non‐Western music can remain authentic if it assimilates influences and changes in ways compatible with its traditions and values. Recordings simulate live performances or create virtual ones and, because the medium is not transparent, are to be understood and appreciated differently from live music‐making.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199608775
- eISBN:
- 9780191729669
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608775.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
The essays in this book cover a spread of topics in the philosophy of music: how music expresses emotion and what is distinctive to the listener's response to this expressiveness; the modes of ...
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The essays in this book cover a spread of topics in the philosophy of music: how music expresses emotion and what is distinctive to the listener's response to this expressiveness; the modes of perception and understanding that can be expected of skilled listeners, performers, analysts, and composers and the various manners in which these understandings can be manifest; the manner in which musical works exist and their relation to their instances or performances; and musical profundity. As well as reviewing the work of philosophers of music, a number of the chapters both draw on and critically reflect on current work by psychologists concerning music.Less
The essays in this book cover a spread of topics in the philosophy of music: how music expresses emotion and what is distinctive to the listener's response to this expressiveness; the modes of perception and understanding that can be expected of skilled listeners, performers, analysts, and composers and the various manners in which these understandings can be manifest; the manner in which musical works exist and their relation to their instances or performances; and musical profundity. As well as reviewing the work of philosophers of music, a number of the chapters both draw on and critically reflect on current work by psychologists concerning music.
David Roberts
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450235
- eISBN:
- 9780801460975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450235.003.0006
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
This chapter analyzes the total work as symbol. Wagner’s Parsifal, one of the most important inspirations for the European symbolist movement, stands as the paradigm of the restoration of the ...
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This chapter analyzes the total work as symbol. Wagner’s Parsifal, one of the most important inspirations for the European symbolist movement, stands as the paradigm of the restoration of the symbolic function of art and of the will to the resacralization of the stage. It discusses how Wagner’s path from the festival of the revolution to a renewal of art religion takes us from the unique celebration of the revolution in a temporary theatre constructed for the occasion, as envisaged by Wagner in 1851, to the establishment and institutionalizing of a festival theatre, a temple of art, intended as a site of pilgrimage and sacred performances. It also argues that Parsifal is the pivot on which Ernst Bloch’s philosophy of music turns, forming the bridge between the history of music, which culminates in Wagner’s last work, and the theory of music, which takes the form of a speculative aesthetics.Less
This chapter analyzes the total work as symbol. Wagner’s Parsifal, one of the most important inspirations for the European symbolist movement, stands as the paradigm of the restoration of the symbolic function of art and of the will to the resacralization of the stage. It discusses how Wagner’s path from the festival of the revolution to a renewal of art religion takes us from the unique celebration of the revolution in a temporary theatre constructed for the occasion, as envisaged by Wagner in 1851, to the establishment and institutionalizing of a festival theatre, a temple of art, intended as a site of pilgrimage and sacred performances. It also argues that Parsifal is the pivot on which Ernst Bloch’s philosophy of music turns, forming the bridge between the history of music, which culminates in Wagner’s last work, and the theory of music, which takes the form of a speculative aesthetics.
Lucia Sziborsky
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226768373
- eISBN:
- 9780226768397
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226768397.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This chapter investigates the biography of Theodor W. Adorno and assesses his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Adorno was born in Frankfurt am Main on September 11, 1903. While on vacation ...
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This chapter investigates the biography of Theodor W. Adorno and assesses his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Adorno was born in Frankfurt am Main on September 11, 1903. While on vacation in Visp, Switzerland, he died of a heart attack on August 6, 1969. Aesthetic Theory, with Philosophy of New Music at its heart, subsumed the legacy of Adorno's entire philosophy; along with his Negative Dialectics and a planned work on moral philosophy that his early death prevented. Art and philosophy played a central role from his early years onward. In Philosophy of New Music, Adorno refined the theory of musical material. The discussion of Adorno's philosophy of music gradually died down, as interest increasingly turned to engagement with the posthumous Aesthetic Theory.Less
This chapter investigates the biography of Theodor W. Adorno and assesses his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Adorno was born in Frankfurt am Main on September 11, 1903. While on vacation in Visp, Switzerland, he died of a heart attack on August 6, 1969. Aesthetic Theory, with Philosophy of New Music at its heart, subsumed the legacy of Adorno's entire philosophy; along with his Negative Dialectics and a planned work on moral philosophy that his early death prevented. Art and philosophy played a central role from his early years onward. In Philosophy of New Music, Adorno refined the theory of musical material. The discussion of Adorno's philosophy of music gradually died down, as interest increasingly turned to engagement with the posthumous Aesthetic Theory.
Stefan Lorenz Sorgner
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226768373
- eISBN:
- 9780226768397
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226768397.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This chapter evaluates the biography of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche and elaborates on his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844 in Röcken. Three phases can ...
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This chapter evaluates the biography of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche and elaborates on his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844 in Röcken. Three phases can be recognized in Nietzsche's philosophy, although it should be noted that the differences are much less momentous than they are sometimes considered to be. For Nietzsche, the given cultural circumstances played a decisive role in addressing the content of the artworks that were developed. The philosophy of music occupied a larger place in Nietzsche's early work. His theories of opera and of the music dramas of the future were based on his attitude toward life. The most direct relationship of Nietzsche's philosophy of music to a music philosophy of the twentieth century occurred with Martin Heidegger. His philosophy of music affected how classical philologists have understood tragedy.Less
This chapter evaluates the biography of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche and elaborates on his particular thoughts on musical philosophy. Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844 in Röcken. Three phases can be recognized in Nietzsche's philosophy, although it should be noted that the differences are much less momentous than they are sometimes considered to be. For Nietzsche, the given cultural circumstances played a decisive role in addressing the content of the artworks that were developed. The philosophy of music occupied a larger place in Nietzsche's early work. His theories of opera and of the music dramas of the future were based on his attitude toward life. The most direct relationship of Nietzsche's philosophy of music to a music philosophy of the twentieth century occurred with Martin Heidegger. His philosophy of music affected how classical philologists have understood tragedy.
Roger Scruton
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198167273
- eISBN:
- 9780191598371
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019816727X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
Attempts to give a complete account of music: its nature, meaning, and value. The book begins from an examination of sound, distinguishes sound from tone, and identifies tones as ...
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Attempts to give a complete account of music: its nature, meaning, and value. The book begins from an examination of sound, distinguishes sound from tone, and identifies tones as intentional (but not material) objects. Musical understanding is based in a form of imaginative perception, in which metaphors of space, weight, effort, and movement play an organising role. Musical meaning does not arise through representation, but through expression and form, both of which must be explained through a theory of musical understanding. Tonality is examined as a paradigm of musical organization, and a theory of expression advanced that gives prominence to first‐person awareness and ‘knowing what it's like’, while acknowledging that expression and musical organization are interconnected. Theories of analysis and structure, such as those of Schenker, Meyer, Lerdahl, and Jackendoff, are examined from the perspective of philosophical aesthetics, and an account given of the identity of the work of music and the distinction between work and performance. The book advances a theory of musical value and of the cultural conditions that enable a musical tradition to emerge and to convey the weight of significance that we hear when we listen to music. Listening is a kind of ‘moving with’, to be illuminated through the comparison with dancing.Less
Attempts to give a complete account of music: its nature, meaning, and value. The book begins from an examination of sound, distinguishes sound from tone, and identifies tones as intentional (but not material) objects. Musical understanding is based in a form of imaginative perception, in which metaphors of space, weight, effort, and movement play an organising role. Musical meaning does not arise through representation, but through expression and form, both of which must be explained through a theory of musical understanding. Tonality is examined as a paradigm of musical organization, and a theory of expression advanced that gives prominence to first‐person awareness and ‘knowing what it's like’, while acknowledging that expression and musical organization are interconnected. Theories of analysis and structure, such as those of Schenker, Meyer, Lerdahl, and Jackendoff, are examined from the perspective of philosophical aesthetics, and an account given of the identity of the work of music and the distinction between work and performance. The book advances a theory of musical value and of the cultural conditions that enable a musical tradition to emerge and to convey the weight of significance that we hear when we listen to music. Listening is a kind of ‘moving with’, to be illuminated through the comparison with dancing.
James O. Young
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199682713
- eISBN:
- 9780191762918
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199682713.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
Chapter 4 is devoted to music with lyrics, with a particular focus on opera. There has been a long-standing assumption in philosophy of music that music with lyrics is fundamentally different from ...
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Chapter 4 is devoted to music with lyrics, with a particular focus on opera. There has been a long-standing assumption in philosophy of music that music with lyrics is fundamentally different from instrumental music. A return to the psychological literature is used to show that this is not the case. Music with lyrics arouses emotion in very much the same way that instrumental music does. The psychological literature strongly indicates that much of the emotional impact of operas and other works with lyrics is owed to the music (not the words), contrary to what has long been assumed. The chapter goes on to argue that music and words can work together to arouse and represent emotion. This leads to the dissolution of the so-called ‘problem of opera’ according to which opera cannot be both musically and dramatically successful.Less
Chapter 4 is devoted to music with lyrics, with a particular focus on opera. There has been a long-standing assumption in philosophy of music that music with lyrics is fundamentally different from instrumental music. A return to the psychological literature is used to show that this is not the case. Music with lyrics arouses emotion in very much the same way that instrumental music does. The psychological literature strongly indicates that much of the emotional impact of operas and other works with lyrics is owed to the music (not the words), contrary to what has long been assumed. The chapter goes on to argue that music and words can work together to arouse and represent emotion. This leads to the dissolution of the so-called ‘problem of opera’ according to which opera cannot be both musically and dramatically successful.
Peter Uwe Hohendahl
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452369
- eISBN:
- 9780801469282
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452369.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This chapter examines the function of the ugly in Aesthetic Theory, with particular emphasis on the primitive and the archaic. It first considers the meaning of the ugly in relation to Theodor ...
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This chapter examines the function of the ugly in Aesthetic Theory, with particular emphasis on the primitive and the archaic. It first considers the meaning of the ugly in relation to Theodor Adorno's understanding of classical aesthetics and his assessment of modern art. It then discusses Adorno's argument against Igor Stravinsky in The Philosophy of Modern Music, and especially his claim that the composer has regressed to classical tonality and flirted with folk art and the primitive as a means of critiquing modern culture. It also explores Adorno's distinction between two modes of the ugly: a positive formalist version utilized by Arnold Schoenberg and a negative one in Stravinsky. It argues that Adorno was more deeply involved in the interpretation of primitive, non-European art than expected, and that he admits the archaic and ugly to the realm of art as a reminder of past and present horror.Less
This chapter examines the function of the ugly in Aesthetic Theory, with particular emphasis on the primitive and the archaic. It first considers the meaning of the ugly in relation to Theodor Adorno's understanding of classical aesthetics and his assessment of modern art. It then discusses Adorno's argument against Igor Stravinsky in The Philosophy of Modern Music, and especially his claim that the composer has regressed to classical tonality and flirted with folk art and the primitive as a means of critiquing modern culture. It also explores Adorno's distinction between two modes of the ugly: a positive formalist version utilized by Arnold Schoenberg and a negative one in Stravinsky. It argues that Adorno was more deeply involved in the interpretation of primitive, non-European art than expected, and that he admits the archaic and ugly to the realm of art as a reminder of past and present horror.
James O. Young
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199682713
- eISBN:
- 9780191762918
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199682713.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This book is a critique of formalism in philosophy of music. Formalism is the view that music is appreciated as pure musical form: music is not about anything, it does not represent, and it has no ...
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This book is a critique of formalism in philosophy of music. Formalism is the view that music is appreciated as pure musical form: music is not about anything, it does not represent, and it has no content or, at any rate, no important content. According to the anti-formalist position defended in this book, many works of music, including some of the greatest masterpieces, are valued as sources of insight into the emotional lives of humans. Drawing upon the latest psychological and musicological research Chapter 1 argues that music is expressive of human emotions by resembling human expressive behaviour. Chapter 2 then argues that by being expressive of emotion, music is able to arouse ordinary emotions such as fear, joy, sorrow, and melancholy. Chapter 3 argues that by resembling human expressive behaviour, music represents such behaviour. Moreover, the power of music to arouse emotion makes possible the representation of emotion in music. Listeners gain insight into emotions by having emotions aroused in them. Chapter 4 argues that, contrary to what formalists have assumed, vocal music (including opera) and purely instrumental are appreciated in the same way. Chapter 5 argues that only by accepting that music is able to represent emotion, and by doing so provide psychological insight, can the profundity and full aesthetic value of music be explained. By representing both the expression of emotion and emotions themselves, music can characterize emotions (as, say, tragic, noble, or dignified) and thereby provide psychological insight.Less
This book is a critique of formalism in philosophy of music. Formalism is the view that music is appreciated as pure musical form: music is not about anything, it does not represent, and it has no content or, at any rate, no important content. According to the anti-formalist position defended in this book, many works of music, including some of the greatest masterpieces, are valued as sources of insight into the emotional lives of humans. Drawing upon the latest psychological and musicological research Chapter 1 argues that music is expressive of human emotions by resembling human expressive behaviour. Chapter 2 then argues that by being expressive of emotion, music is able to arouse ordinary emotions such as fear, joy, sorrow, and melancholy. Chapter 3 argues that by resembling human expressive behaviour, music represents such behaviour. Moreover, the power of music to arouse emotion makes possible the representation of emotion in music. Listeners gain insight into emotions by having emotions aroused in them. Chapter 4 argues that, contrary to what formalists have assumed, vocal music (including opera) and purely instrumental are appreciated in the same way. Chapter 5 argues that only by accepting that music is able to represent emotion, and by doing so provide psychological insight, can the profundity and full aesthetic value of music be explained. By representing both the expression of emotion and emotions themselves, music can characterize emotions (as, say, tragic, noble, or dignified) and thereby provide psychological insight.
Mads Qvortrup
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719065804
- eISBN:
- 9781781700495
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719065804.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter presents an account of Rousseau's philosophy of music. Music was Rousseau's main passion, and this passion spilled over into his political writings in more ways than one. The whole tenor ...
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This chapter presents an account of Rousseau's philosophy of music. Music was Rousseau's main passion, and this passion spilled over into his political writings in more ways than one. The whole tenor of his prose had a musical aura about it. His works were composed rather than written—which, perhaps, explains his eloquence. Readers of Rousseau's work in the original French have been struck by the rhythmical patterns. This musical quality was not unintended. Through the melodious tone he wanted to prove a philosophical point. Musicheld the key to restoring our original emotions, that natural ‘goodness of man’, which manifested itself in the natural compassion with suffering, weak, and unfortunate individuals. It is, perhaps, indicative that Rousseau—the thinker of natural goodness of man and a composer—never tired of stressing that music and song was man's first impulse.Less
This chapter presents an account of Rousseau's philosophy of music. Music was Rousseau's main passion, and this passion spilled over into his political writings in more ways than one. The whole tenor of his prose had a musical aura about it. His works were composed rather than written—which, perhaps, explains his eloquence. Readers of Rousseau's work in the original French have been struck by the rhythmical patterns. This musical quality was not unintended. Through the melodious tone he wanted to prove a philosophical point. Musicheld the key to restoring our original emotions, that natural ‘goodness of man’, which manifested itself in the natural compassion with suffering, weak, and unfortunate individuals. It is, perhaps, indicative that Rousseau—the thinker of natural goodness of man and a composer—never tired of stressing that music and song was man's first impulse.
