Philosophy of Music: An Introduction

by R.A. Sharpe

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 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.

Genres: Philosophy, Music, Nonfiction

191 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Conrado]

[Provisory review]

A bad introductory book; nevertheless, I keep coming back to the chapter on artistic value, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't help me shape some of my views on the matter (specially the problem of expression and semantic anti-realism about musical value). I think Sharpe's approach is a little too rough when it comes to accounting for the act of trying to convince someone of a certain artwork's value, but I'm inclined to agree with it as long as it's improved.

Another thing that also became clear to me while reading Sharpe is that trying to understand what people are doing when they review or interpret works of art is way more interesting to me than actually reviewing or interpreting those works myself.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Erratic and inconclusive discussion. Informal approach, giving emphasis to vague and instinctive concepts, is appealing until it becomes clear that it's preventing him from getting beyond vague and instinctive concepts. You can see interesting things out the window of his train of thought but he never actually points the engine toward them. Unsatisfying.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any author who can integrate a discussion about the malleability of elephant dung into a book about the philosophy of music gets my vote.