Themes in the Philosophy of MusicRepresenting Stephen Davies's best shorter writings, these essays outline developments within the philosophy of music over the last two decades, and summarize the state of play at the beginning of a new century. Including two new and previously unpublished pieces, they address both perennialquestions and contemporary controversies, such as that over the 'authentic performance' movement, and the impact of modern technology on the presentation and reception of musical works. Rather than attempting to reduce musical works to a single type, Davies recognizes a great variety of kinds, and acomplementary range of possibilities for their rendition. Among the questions that Davies considers are these: How can expressiveness be in a musical work when music experiences nothing? Is music a language of the emotions? How do recorded pop songs and purely electronic pieces differ from works created for live performance? Is John Cage's silent piece,4'33", music? To what extent is the performer free to create her own interpretation and to what extent is she constrained by the composer's score? Is training in musical technicalities a prerequisite for a full appreciation of musical works and performances? Is an awareness of the socio-historicalsetting in which a work is created relevant to its appreciation? How does the value of individual musical works go beyond the worth of an interest in music in general? Stimulating and insightful both as individual discussions and as a coherent argument, these essays will be greatly enjoyed by philosophers, aestheticians, art theorists, and musicologists. |
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aesthetic interest Aesthetics and Art ance appreciation appropriate argue artwork audience authentic performance Brahms's Violin Concerto cadenza Cage Cage's characteristics in appearances claim cognitive composer composer's concern with music conventions Così fan tutte creative descriptive interpretation disk distinction emotion characteristic emotional object emotional responses evaluation example experience exposition expressed in music felt emotions figured bass Fugue Gamelan hear heard hypothetical emotionalism Idomeneo imagined individual instance interest in music involves John Cage Journal of Aesthetics karaoke kind Kivy Levinson listener listener's live performance means merely Mozart's music-minus-one music's expressiveness musical instruments musical performance musicians nature notation notes occurrent emotions ontology opera orchestra overture person philosophers piano piece play possible present properties realization recording relationships relevant sad-looking score second subject solo sonata form specified studio performance symphony theory tion transcriber transcription underdetermines understanding unity unity-conferring University Press Vienna Philharmonic Violin Concerto work's