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Reading this, I become sure that I lack some vital pieces of background. I'm an adequate musician, and I know a little philosophy, but very nearly every sentenc

Reading this, I become sure that I lack some vital pieces of background. I'm an adequate musician, and I know a little philosophy, but very nearly every sentence of this piece seems to assume an awful lot of knowledge. (It would seem it's not aimed at people like me.) Does anyone know of a source which explains this background? For example: > Very few composers have philosophical gifts, and fewer still attempt to justify their music in philosophical terms – the great exception being Wagner, who, despite his vast literary output, always allowed his instinctive musicianship to prevail when it conflicted with his philosophical theories. How did Wagner justify his music in philosophical terms? Why did he even feel the need to justify it? What would such a justification look like? What would a competent justification look like? How can I identify a composer who has philosophical gifts? > But it is precisely the absence of philosophical reflection that has led to the invasion of the musical arena by half-baked ideas. What half-baked ideas? For me, this also wants a [citation needed]. Has the musical arena been invaded by half-baked ideas? By what mechanism did philosophical reflection keep out those ideas in years past? I could go on like this through the entire piece: I lack the training to understand it, and I suspect most people on HN do too.

heja2009 11y ago
> How did Wagner justify his music in philosophical terms? Why did he even feel the need to justify it? What would such a justification look like? What would a competent justification look like? How can I identify a composer who has philosophical gifts? Wagner (and most other composers) were highly influenced by their contemporary philosophy. The wikipedia article lists a lot of this and Wagner is a very good example for this as he had rather intense and highly influential conversations with philosophers: many books have been written about Wagner and Nietsche's relationship alone. Wagner also changed his ideas (and consequently his music) over time, most prominently embracing first germanic mythology and later christianity. About the "competence" and "half-bakedness" of musical theories held by composers over the time you can probably entertain many prolonged spirited conversations. Personally - having read some classical and pre-classical aera musical theory books - I think you can find excellence and mediocracy distributed rather equally over the centuries. And yes, this piece seems to expect the reader to know a bit about music history, especially that of musical theory.

heja2009 11y ago

> How did Wagner justify his music in philosophical terms? Why did he even feel the need to justify it? What would such a justification look like? What would a competent justification look like? How can I identify a composer who has philosophical gifts? Wagner (and most other composers) were highly influenced by their contemporary philosophy. The wikipedia article lists a lot of this and Wagner is a very good example for this as he had rather intense and highly influential conversations with philosophers: many books have been written about Wagner and Nietsche's relationship alone. Wagner also changed his ideas (and consequently his music) over time, most prominently embracing first germanic mythology and later christianity. About the "competence" and "half-bakedness" of musical theories held by composers over the time you can probably entertain many prolonged spirited conversations. Personally - having read some classical and pre-classical aera musical theory books - I think you can find excellence and mediocracy distributed rather equally over the centuries. And yes, this piece seems to expect the reader to know a bit about music history, especially that of musical theory.