Description
Explore the transformative power of music with 'Music as Thought', a compelling trade paperback that delves into the evolution of instrumental music from the late 18th to early 19th century. This enlightening book challenges historical perceptions that deemed instrumental music inferior to vocal compositions. Drawing on the insights of philosophers and musicians, including Kant and Rousseau, Mark Evan Bonds presents a thorough examination of how listening to music became a profound vehicle for knowledge and thought. This brand new edition, published by Princeton University Press in 2015, is perfect for scholars, musicians, and enthusiasts eager to understand the cultural shift surrounding the symphony, particularly during Beethoven's era. The book provides a rich exploration of contemporary accounts and various sources, including philosophical, literary, and political influences that shaped the way music was experienced. With free shipping, you can enjoy the wisdom of this remarkable work with ease. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Dive into the world of 'Music as Thought' and discover how music can transcend words.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691168050
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2015
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
Before the nineteenth century, instrumental music was considered inferior to vocal music. Kant described wordless music as "more pleasure than culture," and Rousseau dismissed it for its inability to convey concepts. But by the early 1800s, a dramatic shift was under way. Purely instrumental music was now being hailed as a means to knowledge and embraced precisely because of its independence from the limits of language. What had once been perceived as entertainment was heard increasingly as a vehicle of thought. Listening had become a way of knowing. Music as Thought traces the roots of this fundamental shift in attitudes toward listening in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Focusing on responses to the symphony in the age of Beethoven, Mark Evan Bonds draws on contemporary accounts and a range of sources--philosophical, literary, political, and musical--to reveal how this music was experienced by those who heard it first. Music as Thought is a fascinating reinterpretation of the causes and effects of a revolution in listening.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691168050
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2015
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
Before the nineteenth century, instrumental music was considered inferior to vocal music. Kant described wordless music as "more pleasure than culture," and Rousseau dismissed it for its inability to convey concepts. But by the early 1800s, a dramatic shift was under way. Purely instrumental music was now being hailed as a means to knowledge and embraced precisely because of its independence from the limits of language. What had once been perceived as entertainment was heard increasingly as a vehicle of thought. Listening had become a way of knowing. Music as Thought traces the roots of this fundamental shift in attitudes toward listening in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Focusing on responses to the symphony in the age of Beethoven, Mark Evan Bonds draws on contemporary accounts and a range of sources--philosophical, literary, political, and musical--to reveal how this music was experienced by those who heard it first. Music as Thought is a fascinating reinterpretation of the causes and effects of a revolution in listening.