Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Musical Formalism, Gestalt Theory, Aristoxenus, Descartes, Meyer, aesthetics, music perception
Abstract
In every age, musicians and philosophers deal with inquiries concerning musical meaning and the effect of music on the listener. Musical formalism and Gestalt theory—two theories in musical aesthetics—demonstrate that aspects of musical perception and experience are enduring and comprehensive. Musical formalism is the theory that music’s nature is innate, self-evident, able to be systematically deduced, and rational. According to formalism, musical meaning is defined by things objectively ‘there’ in the music, musical experience relies on cognition, and music is less a matter of sense than of mind. Gestalt Theory holds that music is a unified totality—the whole gives meaning to the parts. Using the two criteria of formalism and Gestalt, this project systematically connects the philosophies of Aristoxenus of Tarentum, René Descartes, and Leonard Meyer from ancient, Enlightenment, and modern times. Although these theories reach different conclusions about musical meaning, they all prefigure or include the same fundamental principles of musical experience and interpretation. In the research process, this project utilizes documentary evidence. Ultimately, the strands of formalism and Gestalt theory in significant philosophies from ancient times to the present demonstrate that musical perception and experience can be universal and timeless.
Campus Venue
Stevens Student Center, Room 241
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-11-2018 1:30 PM
End Date
4-11-2018 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
PowerPoint Presentation
Included in
The Unifying Strands: Formalism and Gestalt Theory Span Centuries of Music Philosophy
Cedarville, OH
In every age, musicians and philosophers deal with inquiries concerning musical meaning and the effect of music on the listener. Musical formalism and Gestalt theory—two theories in musical aesthetics—demonstrate that aspects of musical perception and experience are enduring and comprehensive. Musical formalism is the theory that music’s nature is innate, self-evident, able to be systematically deduced, and rational. According to formalism, musical meaning is defined by things objectively ‘there’ in the music, musical experience relies on cognition, and music is less a matter of sense than of mind. Gestalt Theory holds that music is a unified totality—the whole gives meaning to the parts. Using the two criteria of formalism and Gestalt, this project systematically connects the philosophies of Aristoxenus of Tarentum, René Descartes, and Leonard Meyer from ancient, Enlightenment, and modern times. Although these theories reach different conclusions about musical meaning, they all prefigure or include the same fundamental principles of musical experience and interpretation. In the research process, this project utilizes documentary evidence. Ultimately, the strands of formalism and Gestalt theory in significant philosophies from ancient times to the present demonstrate that musical perception and experience can be universal and timeless.
