Aesthetics of Music; Author: Scruton, Roger; Introduction: Scruton, Roger; Paperback

Author: Scruton, Roger; Introduction: Scruton, Roger
Paperback; 258 Music Examples, Bibliography, Index
550 pages
Published: June 1999
Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019816727X

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 distinguishes 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 devasAn account of the nature and significance of music from a modern philosophy perspective, illustrated with music examples. The book starts from the metaphysics of sound and analyzes rhythm, melody and harmony to develop an account of music as the intentional object of an imaginative perception.