Philosophy of Music

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

What is the nature of music? What is its meaning and value? Is it representational or expressive (or both), and how does it stand in relation to paradigmatically representational art forms such as painting? What role does tonality play in imparting meaning to music? These are some of the questions that we will explore in the course. We will consider various examples, including some drawn from Baroque music and (classically-inspired) jazz. The ability to read music is a prerequisite for this course, and some competence with an instrument will be extremely helpful.