Aesthetics of music

Music aesthetics as a philosophical discipline part of thinking about music with the specific reference point of reflection and aesthetic experience of musical works and processes. This object and methods vary music aesthetic considerations. The conceptual design of a systematic and scientific discipline of aesthetics are fundamental to the modern philosophy of meaning in mid -18th century by A. G. Baumgarten; they will generally employ his design after the sensory knowledge, with the knowledge of art and beautiful in particular, and with the understanding and evaluation of works of art in its historical context.

5.1 Expressionism
5.2 Neoclassicism
5.3 atonality
5.4 Serial Music
5.5 Electronic music
5.6 aleatoric
5.7 Minimal Music

Antiquity

Although the term is not used before the 18th century, people have always been reflected on their intellectual products, also if it is their music. In the myths of the ancient music and its effect often plays a significant role, such as in the myth of Orpheus. Of particular importance given the music in the philosophy of the Pythagoreans: you were harmony and number as the basic principle of being, the music and their interval relationships as a paradigm of this all-encompassing order.

For Plato, music is in his dialogue " symposium" as techne (in the sense of artfully - crafted action) only a way station to the knowledge of being, because it can cause the love of sensual - beauty. In Plato's " Politeia " (engl. "The State " ) is seen as an instrument of the music education of the members of the community, subject as such but strictly limited in content and execution. Even Aristotle, the music is mainly means to the end of influencing character and soul: Since the eidos ( the archetype ) of art in the soul of Herstelle ligand is, the mimesis ( imitation ) for works of art based on the human soul movements and emotions. Therefore, even music influence the emotions of people, ideally wiser for the better.

Middle Ages

The music aesthetic expressions of the medieval thinkers refer exclusively to the liturgical music. In the early Middle Ages ( eg, Boethius ) Thoughts The focus in the foreground, to interpret the music as a mathematical science and then to award her beauty when it depicts the harmony of the cosmos. Later move also music practical considerations to the fore: With the introduction of the Roman liturgy in the Frankish church in the 9th century was thinking about the position of singing in worship. Agreement among all thinkers in the opinion that the song can convey the word of God more effective than language alone. This also means that music is only seen as a "means of transport " and can not exist independently. Only in the context of liturgical music text has its raison d'être. As little as there are individual composers of the Middle Ages, so there is not even the idea of " absolute music " that can exist independently of a purpose. With the advent of musical notation and the polyphonic singing in the 11th century is reflected increasingly on the type of composition. Among other Guido of Arezzo designed a - the grammar of the language ajar - theory of how melodies must be constructed so that they are perfect. There are numerous considerations to the practice of organ Sang Conversely, the most famous is the " Musica enchiriadis " from the 9th century. Importantly, the dispute between representatives of the Ars antiqua and Ars nova in the 14th century, between the "new" way was to make music that developed from worldly practical needs ( development of the motet as a social form of music-making with greater rhythmic freedom ) and the "old" kind that invoked the strict liturgical music-making.

Modern Times

The humanism of the 15th century brings a new interpretation of the ancient authors and a redefinition of the value of musical creation. The mathematical and speculative view of the music fades into the background in favor of a view that represents the music in the context of human life. Zarlino pointedly: Determination of music it is " to spend in leisure and remote from everyday life, the time and thereby to employ noble. " A "new simplicity " in the composition technique calls for the Florentine Camerata end of the 16th century. The in antiquity ( supposedly) existing unit of speech and music is considered here as an ideal. Thus, for the members of the Camerata monody to give precedence over the complex productions polyphonic compositions. In the Enlightenment, the separation between science and art is drawn. The concept of subjective artistic taste now comes in the discussion, as opposed to objective knowledge. Phenomena of nature can be modeled on the music, but beyond mere illustration. Vorweisend on the romance comes in the middle of the 18th century, the term of the expression that is intended to express the unspeakable. This aesthetic concept, the pure instrumental music advances the vocal music, since only by those increasingly abstract content of music can be represented adequately.

19th century

Characteristic of the aesthetics of music of the 19th century is the party battle between the two musical aesthetic positions of program music and absolute music. In the music program a most linguistically program described is part of the aesthetic object of the music. Contrast is with the advent of the idea of absolute music, a body independent of language and instrumental music context, alone represents the formal, structural integrity of the music itself as their aesthetic reference point, a paradigm shift in musical discourse instead.

E.T.A. Hoffmann

The early Romantic aesthetics of music still falls within the period of Viennese classicism and finds its starting point. The essential feature of romantic thought, the belief that "pure, absolute musical art " is the actual music, is already found in ETA Hoffmann's review of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (1810 ), which is the historically most effective manifestation of the Romantic spirit in the aesthetics of music for him. Hoffmann denotes the absolute instrumental music as the most romantic of all the arts. They overcome the imitation of an external, conceptual determinable sense world as an aesthetic substance, by suggest the existence of the " unspeakable " and so go beyond language. For aesthetic substance belonged - in contrast to the specific affects of vocal music - indefinite feelings out listening Hoffmann as "ghost realm of music " from the Absolute music. An enthusiastic metaphysical elevation of the music adapts both Hoffmann as well as in other early Romantics, however differentiated and Hoffmann formulated with the closed form of a musical work within the musical condition of absolute music.

Eduard Hanslick

Eduard Hanslick as a major music aestheticians of the 19th century calls for a scientific, based on the given work of art aesthetics instead of the romantic transfiguration with their subjective feelings and reactions. Hanslick is clearly positioned against the emotional aesthetic that sees the essence of music in the excited feelings through them. After Hanslick is the subject of music aesthetics only the objectively given the musical work: the tones and the characteristics of their connection through melody, harmony and rhythm. Looked Hanslick the content and subject matter of the music as an individual result of compositional work of the Spirit " in geistfähigem material " and calls this pure part of the music " sounding moving form ". As musical art could apply only pure instrumental music. The special performance Hanslick is seen in the synthesis of form and aesthetics of content, especially in highlighting the importance of a formal analysis of the musical work for its aesthetics. Hanslick says the music not from the process of expression of emotion and thrill, but he wishes to stay out of the analysis of the music, as for their aesthetic consideration nothing is present, which is outside of the artwork itself.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche's aesthetics of music does not follow a consistent single line of development. Under the influence first of Richard Wagner and Arthur Schopenhauer, later Eduard Hanslick, move Nietzsche's musical aesthetic considerations between the two extremes of feeling and form. By getting to know Wagner's end in 1868, Nietzsche relates corresponding to position for the antiformalistic stock. To Wagner and his conception of music as understood by the recipient expression of feeling confessing and under the influence of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche represents the time of the creation of his Birth of Tragedy, the view, the essential power of the music is the " greatest possible mediation of feeling content ." But already in 1871 he formulated in the fragment 12 moments of a radical rejection of the aesthetic feeling. In terms of the opposition between Wagner and Hanslick but these early signs of later Wagnerian criticism are a matter of strict self-censorship of Nietzsche. With the abandonment of Wagner and Schopenhauer, Nietzsche developed a formalist perspective that greatly aesthetics Hanslick approaches. The feeling abdicates as the authoritative analytical instance, for Nietzsche, while the shape into the foreground.

20th century

Music Aesthetic developments of the 20th century - unlike in the 19th century - no longer primarily discussed by a philosophical aesthetics of music. Rather, a musical aesthetic discourse in reflecting or programmatic writings individual composers takes place. Although in the 20th century, a differentiation of musical styles can be observed in individual aesthetics is the move away from music aesthetic ideals of the 19th century, the basic motive. While the tonal language ( major-minor system, tonality, voice leading, Diplomatic - metric structure ) was focused in the 19th century, was the restructuring of the musical material in the foreground in the 20th century. Grammar and syntax of music were fundamentally altered, decomposed melodic, harmonic and rhythmic relationships of the 19th century. Central music aesthetic aspects of the 20th century, the dissolution of tonality, the emancipation of dissonance as well as the questions about the relationship of new music tradition.

Expressionism

Since about 1920, the term expressionism is also used in reference to music, in order to explain the appearance of new musical aesthetic phenomena at the beginning of the 20th century and can classify. As a counter-concept to the musical impressionism of musical Expressionism is art of expression, di the art of expression of the ( own ) inside. Beautiful sound, diatonic, metric - - Through him aesthetic ideals and standards of the 19th century are distorted. Its basic idea to establish the expression as a counter-concept to form, Expressionism place in the conception of the New German School, but he runs more conceptual approaches this into its opposite. In the compositions of expressionism there is the idea that an understanding of the hearer to the essence of the expression of the music itself is no longer part again. Thus compositions are not aligned with requirements or expectations of the listener. Rather, show them in attempts to want to realize opportunities for musical expression of emotions. In the limits of consciousness is exceeded, is one's own nature, which is beyond consciousness, be approximated. In the compositional practice these attempts can be heard in the passing of tonality as an extension of tonality. Even musical genres ( symphony, symphonic poem, chamber music, song, ballad, opera, cantata ) are proceeded essentially mixed and overstepped their bounds in expressionism. Schoenberg tried to realize " The Golden Touch " (1924 ) the idea of synesthesia through the use of various art forms in. Important composer of musical expressionism include Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith and Arthur Honegger.

Neoclassicism

The generic concept of neoclassicism referred from the 1920s in the area of the tonal and atonal music, the use of forms that have emerged in the area of tonal music classical validity. These inherited forms should be used as a formal element in neoclassical works and reflected in this figure as in cases of a new arrangement of sounds aesthetically. The musical elements are clear in highlighting the formal properties as well as in their arrangement by the principle of alienation. The properties of the Tonsatzes then merge not to unity but to function as freely composed mechanisms. This formalistic method was first developed at predetermined levels, Tonsätzen or Tonsatztypen classical or pre-classical period, and later applied in free compositions. Again, the origin is usually in the classical period, but no longer be clearly identified as such. In the further development of Neoklassiszismus contemporary works by Schoenberg and Webern are used in neoclassical formalistic procedure. Especially with Stravinsky the use of the method should make the reception of music consciously. The aesthetic appearance of a self-evident or naturalness of the musical process should be removed from the front desk. Theodor W. Adorno saw in the procedures of Neoklassiszismus reactionary tendencies due to its restorative procedures that Adorno collectively referred to as " music about music ". May be opposite to this view of Neoklassiszismus also be classified as a productive eclecticism unlike subjectivist claims originality of Expressionism.

Atonality

Atonality paraphrases from about 1908 musical developments that are beyond the prevailing ideal of tonality and its sound and shape formation. Atonality referred to in these musical developments of the development or the negation of tonality. Under this designation, the terms of tonality and atonality are to be understood as relative. Atonality does not represent a contrasting principle of tonality, but the tonality of music history is a prerequisite for an idea of atonality. Composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who used the principle of atonality, saw their works itself embedded in a context of tradition music of historical development. Atonality does not mean the mere exclusion of tonal relationships - although the arrangement of the tones must have no relation to the tonality - but the resolution of a tonal center and the Leittönigkeit. The sound itself is not tonal, but is beyond the principle of tonality. The different pitches of a chromatic scale there appear to be equivalent. Schoenberg sees this principle, the " emancipation of dissonance ": The term qualitative discrimination of consonance and dissonance is canceled to a equivalence of all interval combinations. This principle can be seen in the harmonious development of function as in the sense of defunctionalisation musical phenomena. Atonality is the possibility of perceptibility of tonal relationships outside of tonality. Expected and unexpected are familiar and unfamiliar music aesthetic phenomena. Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Alban Berg and Josef Matthias Hauer develop differently pronounced compositional techniques in the field of atonality. As a musicologist, a distinction between the free atonality and bound to the twelve-tone atonality, but not fundamentally different. The principle of atonality finds its practical application in the compositional process of the Twelve -tone technique. The term of twelve-tone musical works are summarized, derived their principles from the programmatic writings of Arnold Schoenberg ( serial technique ) or Josef Matthias Hauer (tropical art). The elementary principles of twelve-tone technique is the utter abstraction of the chromating of the musical language of equality of all tones as well as the ubiquity of certain interval relationships. Through these principles, the individual tones solve their seemingly natural character traits. Twelve-tone technique is by their refusal of beauty and harmony of Theodor W. Adorno, the only authentic compositional practice in the face of world-historical development of the early 20th century. In its simplistic amenden subjectification the twelve-tone technique contains emancipatory potential, indicating the possibility of a change of social relations on .. Also for Ernst Bloch Music utopian character. You can show in their language utopian ideas, but do not realize. This utopian features of music recognizes Bloch especially in the twelve-tone technique of Schoenberg.

Serial Music

The concept of serial music is used from the end of the 1940s. Serial music tries to make a series regular structuring of the sound materials in order to extend the range principle Schoenberg to all musical parameters ( length, volume, timbre ). This structuring of the different musical areas by row arrangement and the methodology, just to put those areas by linking in interdependence, based on the music aesthetic approach that could also produce a musical sense by total organization of all musical parameters. The serialism is thus the attempt to establish music as a sensual reflection of a lawful order of all tonal phenomena. Through a critical examination of the principles of serial compositional modifications and corrections in the compositional practice were made. While at the beginning of serial music was the development of a composition of a structured material to include in a structured form, overriding design features were later fundamental principle. Important representatives of the serial music are especially Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez.

Electronic Music

Electronic music is music from electronic begotten sounds. Forms of electronic music evolve in the early 20th century, find their full expression but only in the 1950s. Causes of the development were both technical developments ( the invention of the electron tube and development of Magnettonverfahrens ) and musical aspects. The deconstruction of established notions of form and differentiation of tonal and rhythmic characteristics could develop only in circumscribed ways play technical feasibility. Electronic Music therefore tried the contradiction between an intentional structuring of the material and the real material used to dissolve. The music aesthetic approach in the field of electronic music was to make an elementary structuring musical events following the serial concept. Due to the fact that the pitch could now be arranged in any way, there was also no proper schematic restrictions. Different practices of electronic sound generation by various devices enabled a high degree of variability in the composition practice. In the context of electronic music production, the boundary between composer and performer disappears. In the compositional practice of the composer can equally act as interpreter. The initial claim to autonomy electronic music is canceled by the integration of vocal and instrumental sounds. In its development, the electronic music from differentiated in individual disciplines. One can think here especially the names Musique concrète, Tape Music, Electronic Music in the expression of the Cologne School of Karlheinz Stockhausen and live electronics.

Aleatoric

Aleatoric means as a generic term compositional procedures that perform a controlled random process in unpredictable musical result. The arbitrary selection of musical material is limited by the given possibilities of the supply of the material. Despite its aleatoric music is determined by variable, indefinite and ambiguous patterns through which the dominant ideal of a causality of the musical sequence is discarded. In contrast to procedures of serial music, the aleatoric is non- systematic. Although aleatoric music is determined by the variable interaction of instantaneous events, a clear demarcation to the principle of improvisation is necessary. Aleatoric has changing through their methods of composition effects on the practice of interpretation. Due to the fact that aleatoric music and its notation must open under their accidental proceedings before the interpretation, the autonomy and the responsibility of the Interpreteten increased significantly. The interpretation aleatoric works was therefore to think as an extension of the composition, as musical notation and the interpretation does not necessarily have to match. In the area of aleatoric music, different compositional practices have developed. Aleatoric procedures with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez are classified as continuation of the serial composition. Boulez described this procedure as directed coincidence. John Cage, however, deliberately avoids the term aleatoric and sets this against the terms chance and indeterminacy. In summary, it can be determined three types of aleatoric procedures: 1 aleatoric as a composition of partial structures and individual moments in music. The assembly sequence and the completeness of the musical process is thus left to the performer. Shape, duration, start and end of the composition are thus free. 2 The composer holds to a mandatory classification of the whole composition. Details of the composition can have different semantic content here. 3 The piece as a whole and its sub- structures are of equal importance. The interpreter receives the greatest possible freedom of interpretation here.

Minimal Music

The concept of minimal music is used since the early 1970s. Usually it is used as a synonym to the music of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass. But this equality occurs against the problem that the composers of minimal music represent different compositional approaches and they have also changed their compositional processes. The term minimalist music includes two of its most fundamental principles: the reduction of the musical material and the simplicity of form idea. But only by the principle of the repetition pattern of the reduction serves as an adequate characterization of the music. Since repetition but always includes change, as well as minimalist musicians realized the repititiven pattern change in the musical structure of a piece. In the evolution of minimal music idea of harmony is replaced as harmony form musical event by a sound structure as a modality that can be characterized by the simultaneity of the polyphonic lines. The melody is no longer understood in minimalist music as well as time- intentional idea, but as a result of a musical process. The rhythm serves as a carrier of the musical flow. Reich coined as a musical aesthetic approach the idea of music as a process, Glass, however, sees music as a mosaic form. Together, the two conceptual approaches have their potential infinity, which negates ultimately the musical form of the work in overcoming temporal boundaries.

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