Musical expression and performance

This study examines the philosophical question of how it is possible to appreciate music<br/>aesthetically as an expressive art form. First it examines a number of general theories<br/>that seek to make sense of expressiveness as a characteristic of music that can be<br/>considered relevant to our aesthetic appreciation of the latter. These include accounts<br/>that focus on resemblances between music and human behaviour or human feelings, on<br/>music's powers of emotional arousal, and on various ways in which music may be<br/>imaginatively construed by listeners. It argues that none of these are entirely<br/>satisfactory. Then it proposes an alternative account, focusing on what is involved when<br/>our appreciation of music as an expressive art is informed by our awareness of it as<br/>something that is expressively interpreted in performance. It is claimed that this offers<br/>the basis for a better understanding of at least some aspects of expressiveness in music<br/>and its relevance to aesthetic appreciation.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Ph.D.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Southampton

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Humphries, Carl

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ridley, Aaron