Adorno's Aesthetics of Music [Paperback]

Max Paddison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1998

The main aim of this book is to provide a conceptual context within which to situate Adorno's writings on music. It has quickly established itself as a classic text. Paddison surveys the early writings from the 1920s and examines Adorno's idiosyncratic reception of Marx and Freud. He then discusses Adorno's approach to analysis, and to the sociology of music, and his philosophy of history. The study closes with a critical assessment of Adorno's concept of musical material in the context of his best-known book Philosophy of New Music.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Paddison guides responsible readers back and forth between his own work and Adorno's in a stunning process of dialectical illumination. In addition, Paddison's control of his material has given him the perspective to go beyond mere emulation of Adorno's methods to a useful critique of his musical enterprise ... It is a book that one can present without embarrassment to graduate students conversant with the most up-to-date intellectual currents; even in the shifting sands of the increasingly postmodernist university, Paddison's book, like Adorno's work, has not only the sharp intelligence but also the irreducible multivalence to hold its own as a focus of study ... [this] is a book that both in its contents and in its example constitutes an utterly reliable as well as endlessly rich guide to what may be the most important and most difficult musical thought of the century now passing. Max Paddison has written a magnum opus.' Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Journal of the Royal Musical Association

Book Description

This book provides an introduction to the aesthetics and sociology of music of the This introduction to the aesthetics and sociology of music of the German philosopher and music theorist T. W. Adorno is the only book to deal comprehensively with this topic and it has quickly established itself as a classic text.'Paddison's control of his material has given him the perspective to go beyond mere emulation of Adorno's methods to a useful critique of his musical enterprise It is a book that one can present without embarrassment to graduate students conversant with the most up-to-date intellectual currents [this] is a book that both in its contents and in its example constitutes an utterly reliable as well as endlessly rich guide to what may be the most important and most difficult musical thought of the century now passing. Max Paddison has written a magnum opus.'Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Journal of the Royal Musical Association

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521626080
• ISBN-13: 978-0521626088
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,607,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best secondary source on Adorno, July 9, 2008

By 

Steward Willons (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Adorno's Aesthetics of Music (Paperback)

Max Paddison's comprehensive survey of Adorno's aesthetics of music does the amazing: it takes Adorno's notoriously complex thoughts on music and 'translates' them into something more easily digestible without adulterating them significantly. Paddison's writing style is scholarly, but never arcane and reading is relatively effortless.

As a musicology grad student, I read Adorno both for pleasure and because his work is so important in my field. I've checked out a number of secondary sources on Adorno and this is, by far, my favorite. I've read quite a lot of Adorno myself and from my understanding, Paddison seems entirely consistent with what I've understood. My grasp of Adorno is by no means complete or authoritative, but it's sufficient.

Although I would recommend reading Adorno directly, I realize that he can be dense and difficult to understand, especially in large quantities. His writing on music is so extensive that one cannot be expected to read everything and therefore, I feel someone with a comprehensive and authoritative understanding is well worth reading, even if you read plenty of Adorno yourself.

Around this time in the review, I'm supposed to say something to the effect of, "this is no substitute for the original," but in this case, maybe that's not true. You COULD actually use Paddison as your main source on Adorno with the assurance that you're getting good, solid information. Since the bulk of Adorno's writing deals with 20th century music, I could imagine plenty of students and scholars who wouldn't need to read a whole lot of Adorno, but want an overview anyway. There are plenty of "Adorno in 24 Hours - Guaranteed!" books out there, but they condense these complex thoughts into such small bullet points as to be almost useless. Adorno's ever-popular "On Jazz" becomes "Adorno didn't like jazz" in these books. Paddison's book is completely different. It retains most of the complexity without so much wordiness.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Adorno. If you're new to his writing, this book will give you a great foundation. If you read Adorno already, this book will enhance your understanding by highlighting connections unapparent without reading all of his work. The price is fairly steep for a paperback, but it's well worth the investment.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real-live document to create art., June 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Adorno's Aesthetics of Music (Hardcover)

as a composer Adorno was a breath of fresh air with an historical depth, the academics in music still haven't dealt with the implications of his thought, the political and social functions of music are now beginning to be duscussed by people such as Susan McClary and Edward Said. Although Adorno had a rather dismal view of the world his "Aesthetic Theory" is to me like a real live docuament to write music today, and within the mileau of postmodernity to be able to create art at all is a miracle, naturally his marxist overtones are very important for again in music this is an area truly neglected by serious thinkers in music