The Aesthetics of Music

Zusatztext A formidably gifted philosopher! he here combines analytical rigour with a daunting knowledge of the repertoire as a performer and occasional composer! to ask the most fundamental questions about what music is and what our capacity to enjoy it tells us about the human condition. This is a rich and rewarding study! and I doubt whether anyone could have done it better. Informationen zum Autor Roger Scruton is a leading authority on aesthetics, but has also published books on other aspects of philosophy, politics, literature, architecture, and modern culture. Currently a freelance writer and composer, he was previously Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. Klappentext What is music, what is its value, and what does it mean? In this stimulating volume, Roger Scruton offers a comprehensive account of the nature and significance of music from the perspective of modern philosophy. The study begins with the metaphysics of sound. Scruton 7istinguishes sound from tone; analyzes rhythm, melody, and harmony; and explores the various dimensions of musical organization and musical meaning. Taking on various fashionable theories in the philosophy and theory of music, he presents a compelling case for the moral significance of music, its place in our culture, and the need for taste and discrimination in performing and listening to it. Laying down principles for musical analysis and criticism, this bold work concludes with a theory of culture--and a devastating demolition of modern popular music. "A provocative new study."--The Guardian Zusammenfassung What is music, what is its value, and what does it mean? In this exciting book, the philosopher Roger Scruton explores the nature and meaning of music from first principles and gives a fascinating analysis of musical organization, together with a provocative account of contemporary civilization and its discontents.

A formidably gifted philosopher, he here combines analytical rigour with a daunting knowledge of the repertoire as a performer and occasional composer, to ask the most fundamental questions about what music is and what our capacity to enjoy it tells us about the human condition. This is a rich and rewarding study, and I doubt whether anyone could have done it better.

Auteur
Roger Scruton is a leading authority on aesthetics, but has also published books on other aspects of philosophy, politics, literature, architecture, and modern culture. Currently a freelance writer and composer, he was previously Professor of Philosophy at Boston University.

Texte du rabat

What is music, what is its value, and what does it mean? In this stimulating volume, Roger Scruton offers a comprehensive account of the nature and significance of music from the perspective of modern philosophy. The study begins with the metaphysics of sound. Scruton 7istinguishes sound from tone; analyzes rhythm, melody, and harmony; and explores the various dimensions of musical organization and musical meaning. Taking on various fashionable theories in the philosophy and theory of music, he presents a compelling case for the moral significance of music, its place in our culture, and the need for taste and discrimination in performing and listening to it. Laying down principles for musical analysis and criticism, this bold work concludes with a theory of culture--and a devastating demolition of modern popular music.
"A provocative new study."--The Guardian

Résumé
What is music, what is its value, and what does it mean? In this exciting book, the philosopher Roger Scruton explores the nature and meaning of music from first principles and gives a fascinating analysis of musical organization, together with a provocative account of contemporary civilization and its discontents.

Contenu

• Preface

• List of Music Examples

• Note to the Reader

• 1: Sound

• 2: Tone

• 3: Imagination and Metaphor

• 4: Ontology

• 5: Representation

• 6: Expression

• 7: Language

• 8: Understanding

• 9: Tonality

• 10: Form

• 11: Content

• 12: Value

• 13: Analysis

• 14: Performance

• 15: Culture

• Bibliography

• Acknowledgements

• Index