Sound FiguresTheodor Adorno is one of this century s most influential thinkers in the areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics, and music. Throughout the essays in this book, all of which concern musical matters, he displays an astonishing range of cultural reference, demonstrating that music is invariably social, political, even ethical. Adorno s insistence on the social character of aesthetic works will come as no surprise to those familiar with his writings, although many may be surprised by the volume s somewhat colloquial tone. This colloquialism, in dialogue with Adorno s unceasing rigor, stems from the occasional sources of many of the essays, mainly public lectures and radio addresses. As such, this volume represents an important and, for English-language readers, largely unfamiliar side to Adorno. His arguments move more quickly than in his more formal and extended musicological works, and the writing is much more accessible and generous than his usually dense and frequently opaque prose. This volume includes essays on prominent figures in music (Alban Berg, Anton von Webern, Arturo Toscanini), compositional technique (the prehistory of the twelve-tone row, the function of counterpoint in new music), and the larger questions of musical sociology for which Adorno is most famous, including the relation of interpretation to audience, the ideological function of opera, and the historical meaning of musical technique. The essay on the sociology of music, for example, represents an early statement of what would soon become trademark principles of his mode of musical analysis, serving as a catalyst for his famous study Introduction to the Sociology of Music. Some forty years after most of these essays were written, they remain fresh and relevant. In part, this is because Adorno s method has only recently begun to make substantial inroads into Anglo-American musicology. And the interdisciplinary nature of his thought provides a precursor for today s interdisciplinary studies. |
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Contents
Bourgeois Opera | 15 |
New Music Interpretation Audience | 29 |
The Mastery of the Maestro | 40 |
The Prehistory of Serial Music | 54 |
Alban Berg | 69 |
The Orchestration of Bergs Early Songs | 80 |
S Anton von Webern | 91 |
S Classicism Romanticism New Music | 106 |
The Function of Counterpoint in New Music | 123 |
S Criteria of New Music | 145 |
Music and Technique | 197 |
Translators Notes | 217 |
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Common terms and phrases
achieved Adorno aesthetic Alban Berg alien Anton von Webern arpeggios articulation artistic become Beethoven Berg Berg's bourgeois Brahms character chromaticism clarinet Classicism complex composer composer's composition concept construction contradiction contrapuntal contrast counterpoint create critical cultural dialectic element Erwartung everything expression fact formal function harmony historical idea identical illusion impulse individual integral Jugendstil language of music listener logic longer material melody ment motive movement musical meaning nature Neoclassicism nineteenth century objective once opera orchestral performance phase Piano piece played poems polyphony possible precisely principle production Quartet rational reality relationship Richard Strauss Romantic Romantic music Romanticism Schoenberg sense serial shape simply social sociology of music sonata songs sonorities sound specific spirit strings structure style stylistic Symphony technical tension thematic theme thing thorough-bass tion tonality tone Toscanini totality truth twelve-tone technique unity Viennese Violin voices Wagner Webern Wozzeck