A history of Western musical aesthetics

Abstract

most welcome contribution, a veritable treasure trove of insight...So pervasive has been the fascination of aesthetics for critics and literary figures through the ages that the sheer number of their writings challenges the imagination. Lippman has organized the subject in a logical chronology starting with Plato and Aristotle and culminating in such figures as T. W. Adorno and Georg Lukacs. This comprehen-sive, encyclopedic treatment of writers includes trenchant analyses of their writings and assessments of their contributions and of their relationships to their cultural and historical eras. Lippman writes in a clear and readable style...All the sections are top-notch. - Choice. Recent composers have posed [enormous challenges] to traditional conceptions of music and musical values. The book is particularly timely and badly needed. - Lewis Rowell, author of Thinking about Music: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Music. A History of Western Musical Aesthetics follows through the centuries debates about the place and function of music, the perceived role of music as a good or bad influence on the development of character, as a magical art or a domestic entertainment, and as a gateway to transcendental truths. Edward Lippman describes the beginnings of mu-sical tradition in the myths and philosophies of antiquity. He shows how music theory began to take on new dimensions and intensity in the seventeenth century, how musical esthetics was specifically defined and elaborated in the eighteenth century, and how, by the nineteenth century, music became the standard by which other arts were judged. The twentieth century added problems, pressure, and theories as music continued to diversify and as cultures viewed each other with more respect. Edward Lippman, professor emeritus of music at Columbia University, is the author of Humanistic Philosophy of Music and many other works.