Philosophy of Music: An Introduction

This  lively and lucid introduction to the philosophy of music concentrates  on the issues that illuminate musical listening and practice. It  examines the conceptual debates relevant to the understanding and  performing of music and grounds the philosophy to practical matters  throughout. Ideal for a beginning readership with little philosophical  background, the author provides an overview of the central debates  enlivened by a real sense of enthusiasm for the subject and why it  matters. The book begins by filling in the historical background and  offers readers a succinct summary of philosophical thinking on music  from the Ancient Greeks to Eduard Hanslick and Edmund Gurney. Chapter 2  explores two central questions: what is it that makes music, or, to be  precise, some pieces of music, works of art? And, what is the work of  music per se? Is it just what we hear, the performance, or is it  something over and above that, something we invent or discover? Chapter 3  discusses a problem pecullar to music and one at the heart of  philosophical discussion of it, can music have a meaning? And if so,  what can it be? Chapter 4 considers whether music can have value. Are  there features about music that make it good, features which can be  specified in criteria? Is a work good if and only if it meets with the  approval of an ideally qualified listener? How do we explain differences  of opinion? Indeed, why do we need to make judgements of the relative  value of pieces of music at all? This engaging and stimulating book will  be of interest to students of aesthetics, musical practitioners and the  general reader looking for a non-technical treatment of the subject.