Essays on Music

by Theodor Adorno

No one interested in Adorno from any perspective—or, for that matter, in modernity and music all told—can afford to ignore Essays on Music."—Gary Tomlinson, author of Metaphysical Song: An Essay on Opera "This book is both a major ...

Essays on Music

Author: Theodor Adorno

Publisher: Univ of California Press

ISBN: 9780520231597

Page: 743

View: 328

"A book of landmark importance. It is unprecedented in its design: a brilliantly selected group of essays on music coupled with lucid, deeply incisive, and in every way masterly analysis of Adorno's thinking about music. No one who studies Adorno and music will be able to dispense with it; and if they can afford only one book on Adorno and music, this will be the one. For in miniature, it contains everything one needs: a collection of exceptionally important writings on all the principal aspects of music and musical life with which Adorno dealt; totally reliable scholarship; and powerfully illuminating commentary that will help readers at all levels read and re-read the essays in question."—Rose Rosengard Subotnik, author of Deconstructive Variations: Music and Reason in Western Society "An invaluable contribution to Adorno scholarship, with well chosen essays on composers, works, the culture industry, popular music, kitsch, and technology. Leppert's introduction and commentaries are consistently useful; his attention to secondary literature remarkable; his interpretation responsible. The new translations by Susan Gillespie (and others) are outstanding not only for their care and readability, but also for their sensitivity to Adorno's forms and styles."—Lydia Goehr, author of The Quest for Voice: Music, Politics and the Limits of Philosophy "With its careful, full edition of Adorno's important musical texts and its exhaustive yet eminently readable commentaries, Richard Leppert's magisterial book represents a brilliant solution to the age-old dilemma of bringing together primary text and interpretation in one volume."—James Deaville, Director, School of the Arts, McMaster University "The developing variations of Adorno's life-long involvement with musical themes are fully audible in this remarkable collection. What might be called his 'literature on notes' brilliantly complements the 'notes to literature' he devoted to the written word. Richard Leppert's superb commentaries constitute a book-length contribution in their own right, which will enlighten and challenge even the most learned of Adorno scholars."—Martin Jay, author of The Dialectical Imagination: A History of The Frankfurt School and the Institute of Social Research "There is afoot in Anglo-American musicology today the first wholesale reconsideration of Adorno's thought since the pioneering work of Rose Rosengard Subotnik around 1980. Essays on Music will play a central role in this effort. It will do so because Richard Leppert has culled Adorno's writings so as to make clear to musicologists the place of music in the broad critique of modernity that was Adorno's overarching project; and it will do so because Leppert has explained these writings, in commentaries that amount to a book-length study, so as to reveal to non-musicologists the essentially musical foundation of this project. No one interested in Adorno from any perspective—or, for that matter, in modernity and music all told—can afford to ignore Essays on Music."—Gary Tomlinson, author of Metaphysical Song: An Essay on Opera "This book is both a major achievement by its author-editor and a remarkable act of scholarly generosity for the rest of us. Until now, English translations of Adorno's major essays on music have been scattered and often unreliable. Until now, there has been no comprehensive scholarly treatment of Adorno's musical thinking. This volume remedies both problems at a single stroke. It will be read equally—and eagerly—for Adorno's texts and for Richard Leppert's commentary on them, both of which will continue to be essential resources as musical scholarship seeks increasingly to come to grips with the social contexts and effects of music. No one knows Adorno better than Leppert, and no one is better equipped to clarify the complex interweaving of sociology, philosophy, and musical aesthetics that is central to Adorno's work. From now on, everyone who reads Adorno on music, whether a beginner or an expert, is in Richard Leppert's debt for devoting his exceptional gifts of learning and lucidity to this project."—Lawrence Kramer, author of Musical Meaning: Toward a Critical History

After Adorno

by Tia DeNora

This book argues that music sociology can be greatly enriched by a return to Adorno's concerns, in particular his focus on music as a dynamic medium of social life.

After Adorno

Author: Tia DeNora

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 9781139440943

Page:

View: 548

Theodor W. Adorno placed music at the centre of his critique of modernity and broached some of the most important questions about the role of music in contemporary society. One of his central arguments was that music, through the manner of its composition, affected consciousness and was a means of social management and control. His work was primarily theoretical however, and because these issues were never explored empirically his work has become sidelined in current music sociology. This book argues that music sociology can be greatly enriched by a return to Adorno's concerns, in particular his focus on music as a dynamic medium of social life. Intended as a guide to 'how to do music sociology' this book deals with critical topics too often sidelined such as aesthetic ordering, cognition, the emotions and music as a management device and reworks Adorno's focus through a series of grounded examples.

Adorno on Music

by Robert W. Witkin

Adorno is one of the leading cultural thinkers of the twentieth century. This is the first detailed account of Adorno's texts on music from a sociological perspective.

Adorno on Music

Author: Robert W. Witkin

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 1136215379

Page: 224

View: 914

Adorno is one of the leading cultural thinkers of the twentieth century. This is the first detailed account of Adorno's texts on music from a sociological perspective. In clear, non-technical language, Robert Witkin guides the reader through the complexities of Adorno's argument about the link between music and morality and between musical works and social structure. It was largely through these works Adorno established the right of the arts to be acknowledged as a moral and critical force in the development of a modern society. By recovering them for non-musicologists, Witkin adds immeasurably to our appreciation of this giant of twentieth-century thought.

Sound Figures

by Theodor W. Adorno

Theodor Adorno is one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers in the areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics and music. This volume of essays contains Adorno's thoughts on music and its wider social implications.

Sound Figures

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN: 9780804735582

Page: 229

View: 965

Theodor Adorno is one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers in the areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics and music. This volume of essays contains Adorno's thoughts on music and its wider social implications.

Philosophy of Modern Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

A landmark work from the founder of the Frankfurt School. A key work in the study of Adorno, of interest to students and general readers alike.

Philosophy of Modern Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: A&C Black

ISBN: 9780826414908

Page: 220

View: 221

A landmark work from the founder of the Frankfurt School. A key work in the study of Adorno, of interest to students and general readers alike.

Current of Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

Robert Hullot-Kentor, the distinguished Adorno scholar, reconstructed Adorno's project for the Adorno Archive in Germany and provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the fragmentary texts collected in this volume.

Current of Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 0745694632

Page: 480

View: 250

Fleeing the Nazis, Theodor W. Adorno lived in New York City as a refugee from 1938 until 1941. During these years, he was intensively involved in a study of how the recently developed techniques for the nation-wide transmission of music over radio were transforming the perception of music itself. This broad ranging radio research was conceived as nothing less than an investigation, partly empirical, of Walter Benjamin's speculative claims for the emancipatory potential of art in the age of its mechanical reproduction. The results of Adorno's project set him decisively at odds with Benjamin's theses and at the same time became the body of thinking that formed the basis for Adornos own aesthetics in his Philosophy of New Music. Current of Music is the title that Adorno himself gave to this research project. For complex reasons, however, Adorno was not able to bring the several thousands of pages of this massive study, most of it written in English, to a final form prior to leaving New York for California, where he would immediately begin work with Max Horkheimer on the Dialectic of Enlightenment. Robert Hullot-Kentor, the distinguished Adorno scholar, reconstructed Adorno's project for the Adorno Archive in Germany and provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the fragmentary texts collected in this volume. Current of Music will be widely discussed for the light it throws on the development of Adorno's thought, on his complex relationship with Walter Benjamin, but most of all for the important perspectives it provides on questions of popular culture, the music of industrial entertainment, the history of radio and the social dimensions of the reproduction of art.

Beethoven

by Theodor W. Adorno

Throughout his life, Adorno wrote extensive notes, essay fragments and aides-memoires on the subject of Beethoven's music. This book brings together all of Beethoven's music in relation to the society in which he lived.

Beethoven

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 0745692451

Page: 288

View: 878

Beethoven is a classic study of the composer's music, written by one of the most important thinkers of our time. Throughout his life, Adorno wrote extensive notes, essay fragments and aides-memoires on the subject of Beethoven's music. This book brings together all of Beethoven's music in relation to the society in which he lived. Adorno identifies three periods in Beethoven's work, arguing that the thematic unity of the first and second periods begins to break down in the third. Adorno follows this progressive disintegration of organic unity in the classical music of Beethoven and his contemporaries, linking it with the rationality and monopolistic nature of modern society. Beethoven will be welcomed by students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines - philosophy, sociology, music and history - and by anyone interested in the life of the composer.

Introduction to the Sociology of Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

An eminent philosopher of music defines the sociology of music, explores modes of musical conduct, and deals with popular and chamber music, opera, and the relation of music to public opinion

Introduction to the Sociology of Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: Burns & Oates

ISBN:

Page: 233

View: 109

An eminent philosopher of music defines the sociology of music, explores modes of musical conduct, and deals with popular and chamber music, opera, and the relation of music to public opinion

Night Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

Collected in their entirety for the first time in English, these insightful texts show the breadth of Adorno's musical understanding and reveal an overlooked side to this significant thinker"--Back cover.

Night Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher:

ISBN: 9780857427090

Page: 328

View: 224

Current of Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

Robert Hullot-Kentor, the distinguished Adorno scholar, reconstructed Adorno's project for the Adorno Archive in Germany and provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the fragmentary texts collected in this volume.

Current of Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: Polity

ISBN: 9780745642864

Page: 480

View: 362

Fleeing the Nazis, Theodor W. Adorno lived in New York City as a refugee from 1938 until 1941. During these years, he was intensively involved in a study of how the recently developed techniques for the nation-wide transmission of music over radio were transforming the perception of music itself. This broad ranging radio research was conceived as nothing less than an investigation, partly empirical, of Walter Benjamin's speculative claims for the emancipatory potential of art in the age of its mechanical reproduction. The results of Adorno's project set him decisively at odds with Benjamin's theses and at the same time became the body of thinking that formed the basis for Adornos own aesthetics in his Philosophy of New Music. Current of Music is the title that Adorno himself gave to this research project. For complex reasons, however, Adorno was not able to bring the several thousands of pages of this massive study, most of it written in English, to a final form prior to leaving New York for California, where he would immediately begin work with Max Horkheimer on the Dialectic of Enlightenment. Robert Hullot-Kentor, the distinguished Adorno scholar, reconstructed Adorno's project for the Adorno Archive in Germany and provides a lengthy and informative introduction to the fragmentary texts collected in this volume. Current of Music will be widely discussed for the light it throws on the development of Adorno's thought, on his complex relationship with Walter Benjamin, but most of all for the important perspectives it provides on questions of popular culture, the music of industrial entertainment, the history of radio and the social dimensions of the reproduction of art.

Philosophy of New Music

by Theodor W. Adorno

In 1947 Theodor Adorno, one of the seminal European philosophers of the postwar years, announced his return after exile in the US to a devastated Europe by writing 'Philosophy of New Music'.

Philosophy of New Music

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page: 208

View: 568

In 1947 Theodor Adorno, one of the seminal European philosophers of the postwar years, announced his return after exile in the US to a devastated Europe by writing 'Philosophy of New Music'. This translation emerges as an indispensable key to the whole of Adorno's illustrious and influential oeuvre.

Towards a Theory of Musical Reproduction

by Theodor W. Adorno

In the various notes and texts brought together in Towards a Theory of Musical Reproduction, one finds Adorno constantly circling around an irresolvable paradox: interpretation can only fail the work, yet only through it can musics true ...

Towards a Theory of Musical Reproduction

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 0745692761

Page: 304

View: 468

At the beginning of his career in the 1920s, Adorno sketched a planto write a major work on the theory of musical reproduction, a taskhe returned to time and again throughout his career but nevercompleted. The choice of the word reproduction as opposed tointerpretation indicates a primary supposition: that there is aclearly defined musical text whose precision exceeds what isvisible on the page, and that the performer has the responsibilityto reproduce it as accurately as possible, beyond simply playingwhat is written. This task, according to Adorno, requires adetailed understanding of all musical parameters in theirhistorical context, and his reflections upon this task lead to afundamental study of the nature of notation and musical sense. In the various notes and texts brought together in Towards aTheory of Musical Reproduction, one finds Adorno constantlycircling around an irresolvable paradox: interpretation can onlyfail the work, yet only through it can musics true essence becaptured. While he at times seems more definite in hispronouncement of a musical scores absolute value just as a book isread silently, not aloud his discourse repeatedly displays hisinability to cling to that belief. It is this quality ofuncertainty in his reflections that truly indicates the scope ofthe discourse and its continuing relevance to musical thought andpractice today.

Mahler

by Theodor W. Adorno

Since its appearance in 1960 in German, Mahler has established itself as a classic of musical interpretation. Now available in English, the work is presented here in a translation that captures the stylistic brilliance of the original.

Mahler

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

ISBN: 022607630X

Page: 188

View: 336

Theodor W. Adorno goes beyond conventional thematic analysis to gain a more complete understanding of Mahler's music through his character, his social and philosophical background, and his moment in musical history. Adorno examines the composer's works as a continuous and unified development that began with his childhood response to the marches and folk tunes of his native Bohemia. Since its appearance in 1960 in German, Mahler has established itself as a classic of musical interpretation. Now available in English, the work is presented here in a translation that captures the stylistic brilliance of the original. Theodor W. Adorno (1903-69), one of the foremost members of the Frankfurt school of critical theory, studied with Alban Berg in Vienna during the late twenties, and was later the director of the Institute of Social Research at the University of Frankfurt from 1956 until his death. His works include Aesthectic Theory, Introduction to the Sociology of Music, The Jargon of Authenticity, Prism, and Philosophy of Modern Music.

In Search of Wagner

by Theodor W. Adorno

This new edition includes a lengthy foreword by Slavoj Zizek, entitled "Why is Wagner worth saving?"

In Search of Wagner

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: Verso

ISBN: 9781844675005

Page: 148

View: 798

This new edition includes a lengthy foreword by Slavoj Zizek, entitled "Why is Wagner worth saving?"

Introduction to Sociology

by Theodor W. Adorno

This surprising volume is a wonderful antidote to the impression that the Frankfurt School opposed empirical research. . . . This brief work is thick with implications for the discipline of sociology, which Adorno fundamentally rethinks.

Introduction to Sociology

Author: Theodor W. Adorno

Publisher: Stanford University Press

ISBN: 9780804746830

Page: 208

View: 250

Introduction to Sociology distills decades of distinguished work in sociology by one of this century’s most influential thinkers in the areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics, and music. It consists of a course of seventeen lectures given by Theodor W. Adorno in May-July 1968, the last lecture series before his death in 1969. Captured by tape recorder (which Adorno called “the fingerprint of the living mind”), these lectures present a somewhat different, and more accessible, Adorno from the one who composed the faultlessly articulated and almost forbiddingly perfect prose of the works published in his lifetime. Here we can follow Adorno’s thought in the process of formation (he spoke from brief notes), endowed with the spontaneity and energy of the spoken word. The lectures form an ideal introduction to Adorno’s work, acclimatizing the reader to the greater density of thought and language of his classic texts. Delivered at the time of the “positivist dispute” in sociology, Adorno defends the position of the “Frankfurt School” against criticism from mainstream positivist sociologists. He sets out a conception of sociology as a discipline going beyond the compilation and interpretation of empirical facts, its truth being inseparable from the essential structure of society itself. Adorno sees sociology not as one academic discipline among others, but as an over-arching discipline that impinges on all aspects of social life. Tracing the history of the discipline and insisting that the historical context is constitutive of sociology itself, Adorno addresses a wide range of topics, including: the purpose of studying sociology; the relation of sociology and politics; the influence of Saint-Simon, Comte, Durkheim, Weber, Marx, and Freud; the contributions of ethnology and anthropology; the relationship of method to subject matter; the problems of quantitative analysis; the fetishization of science; and the separation of sociology and social philosophy.

Adorno s Aesthetics of Music

by Max Paddison

An introduction to T. W. Adorno's aesthetics and sociology of music.

Adorno s Aesthetics of Music

Author: Max Paddison

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 9780521626088

Page: 378

View: 904

An introduction to T. W. Adorno's aesthetics and sociology of music.

Apparitions

by Berthold Hoeckner

Bringing together an international group of scholars, the book offers new historical and critical insights into Adorno's theories of music and how these theories, in turn, have affected the study of contemporary art music, popular music, ...

Apparitions

Author: Berthold Hoeckner

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 1135577722

Page: 248

View: 442

Apparitions takes a new look at the critical legacy of one of the 20th century's most important and influential thinkers about music, Theodor W. Adorno. Bringing together an international group of scholars, the book offers new historical and critical insights into Adorno's theories of music and how these theories, in turn, have affected the study of contemporary art music, popular music, and jazz.