Introduction to a Philosophy of Music [Paperback]

Peter Kivy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198250487 | ISBN-13: 978-0198250487 | Publication Date: August 2002

Philosophy of music has flourished in the last thirty years, with great advances made in the understanding of the nature of music and its aesthetics. Peter Kivy has been at the center of this flourishing, and now offers his personal introduction to philosophy of music, a clear and lively explanation of how he sees the most important and interesting philosophical issues relating to music. Anyone interested in music will find this a stimulating introduction to some fascinating questions and ideas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Though not a textbook, Kivy's book neatly covers the history of musical aesthetics from Plato onwards, and thus could easily be used in philosophy of music classes. The Philosophical Quarterly Written clearly and engagingly, Peter Kivy's introduction to musical aesthetics usefully summarizes his own influential views on various issues in the philosophy of music. The Philosophical Quarterly Peter Kivy is the most influential and prolific author on the philosophy of music within the analytical tradition ... Kivy has written a very readable and elegantly composed philosophy of music, which requires no prior knowledge of musicological terminology. The treasures of the book are the keen analyses of the issues, the sophisticated argumentations, and the wealth of relevant arguments ... It is a most valuable book for those who want to confront their views of music with one of the best-argued positions in musical aesthetics. British Journal of Aesthetics

About the Author

Peter Kivy is Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University, New Jersey. He is the author of New Essays on Musical Understanding, also published by Oxford University Press (2001).

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198250487
• ISBN-13: 978-0198250487
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kivy's Introduction to a Philosophy of Music, January 30, 2005

By 

C. Goss (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to a Philosophy of Music (Paperback)

Coming from the prospective of one with undergraduate degrees in both music and philosophy I was very eager to flip through this book. It certainly is an introduction: (1) Kivy assumes the reader to have little or no background in either music or philosophy, (2) Kivy aims for breadth rather then depth (not to say there isn't depth), and (3) the overall level of difficulty, in terms of comprehension, is fairly minimal. This is certainly a kind of book I would recommend to someone as a first reading...even one who has had much experience in each of the areas (philosophy and music) seperately. The book has suggestions for further reading for those so motivated. Not that I am sufficiently knowledgable for one to place much credence in the following, but I agreed with a majority of the arguments Kivy professed to be in-line with (where I felt the most disagreement was with extended formulist's argument that music contains no representation of emotions. Kivy considers some opposing arguments but it seems to me there is more to chew on. I have a feeling though that the distance between the two ideas could be brought closer together with a more detailed account of what emotions are).
Four stars instead of five for two reasons: (1) I would hesitate to give an introductory work in any field five stars and (2) there were certain stylistic aspects of the writing that put me off slightly (a small matter of taste and not by any means a substancial criticism).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars what are the alternatives?, August 20, 2007

By 

Passionate About Music - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to a Philosophy of Music (Paperback)

If you want an introduction to the philosophy of music, this is the best book available. To some degree, that's because there are no real alternatives. The writing is clear and it really does give an overview of the issues that philosophers discuss, but that means it concentrates on "pure" music (instrumental music of the European classical tradition). The ONLY discussion of music with words is the chapter on opera. If you don't already know a lot about opera, you'll be lost following that chapter. Compared to most philosohers, Kivy has a very informal writing style.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction, May 28, 2007

By 

Wowbagger - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to a Philosophy of Music (Hardcover)

Excellent introduction for practically anyone. Kivy doesn't presume any prior musical or philosophical training on the reader's part, so this is highly readable. If you are new to the field, whether you are a philosopher, a musician, or neither (I am a philosophy student with some music training), you will still find something of interest in this book --- Kivy tackles philosophically interesting issues that all music lovers must have wondered about at some point or other. Whether you agree with what he says, he writes clearly and makes thought-provoking, intelligent points.