Philosophy of Modern Music

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Description

In this classic work of music theory Adorno critiques two major composers, Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, who he presents as dialectically opposed to one another in terms of their musical styles, techniques and directions. Adornos readings, especially of Schoenberg, continue to cause controversy and disagreement among musicians, music lovers and philosophers today. As always with Adorno, a wide range of social cultural, philosophical and political questions are raised in the process of his critique making the reader see the form and function of music in startling new ways. The book also covers other renowned composers including Wagner, Bach and Mozart. This is landmark work of philosophy that has shaped the way we think about music today.

Reviews

[Adorno's] interest in Schoenberg and Benjamin was combined in his best known and most influential book...which set out to do for contemporary music what Benjamin had done for seventeenth-century German tragedy. * The New York Review of Books *

Author Bio

Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) was a founder and arguably the foremost thinker of the Frankfurt School. He worked with Max Horkheimer at the New York Institute for Social Research, USA, and later taught at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, until his death in 1969.