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-   -   philosophy of Music (http://www.notation.com/vb-forum/showthread.php?t=3598)

Mariaraujo 03-11-2011 07:23 AM

philosophy of Music
 
How did the postulates on which the classical thinkers rested their philosophy affect the music of Beethoven?

I have to type a paper on this question...
I'm not sure what it means by postulates though.

Oh also, the question actually asked if the philosophy affected the music of Haydn, Mozart, OR Beethoven, not only just Beethoven. So I can just pick one composer to write about.

mgj32 03-14-2011 05:15 AM

Re: philosophy of Music
 
Hello,
Good luck dealing with a rather vague question. Does "classical thinkers" refer to philosophers, like Voltaire, Rousseau, Newton, Descarte, etc. Or does it refer to a group of composers, like the Manheim school. "Postulate" I suppose you could take as a basic belief upon which their thinking was built.

Hope this is some help.

best,
mgj

dj 03-14-2011 11:48 AM

Re: philosophy of Music
 
Beethoven was a revolutionary; Hayden was a reactionary; Mozart was just plain nuts.

Beethoven admired Napoleon and his revolutionary stance until he saw what it was actually doing to the world. I can't remember offhand which symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon but has the dedication scratched out in the urtext --- might be the Eroica.

That might be a launching point for you.

Good luck.

David

Ralph Sirvent 08-30-2011 04:02 PM

Re: philosophy of Music
 
Can there really be a philosophy of music? Music is constantly evolving and changing shape. To say that there is a philosophy of music would mean that we fully understand and can manipulate it to the point that we can do anything with it. Music is somewhat like clay. It can be molded into different shapes. It is also like water. Water cannot be completely controlled but it can be directed into channels and dams. Its force is overwhelming and if we are not careful we will be destroyed by it

Music is like poetry. Once we know its rules, we can create it. Once we know its rules we can bend them but only to a certain limit. Beyond this limit it ceases to be music and becomes noise.

Music requires much thought to create a philosophy for it. Besides, when we appreciate the beauty of a rainbow, why would we want to analyze its colors as a scientist would. Music is an art, not a science. It has been created to enrich the soul. Musicians are interested in analyzing it only in the interests of creating music that is the most beautiful possible. Musicians are not pedantics and if they are then they become music teachers. How long will a musician stay with a music teacher? He will stay with a teacher until he develops his own style of playing. Enough said.

Ralph Sirvent

Sherry C 06-09-2012 12:54 PM

Re: philosophy of Music
 
Howdy folks,

I know it's way past the time that an answer to this question would be used for the initial inquiry, but I have a good resource for others who may be interested :)

Saving Leonardo by Nancy Pearcey explores how cultural philosophy and world view have changed over time, and how those continuing changes have affected the works of composers and visual artists as a result. Well referenced with numerous examples, it's been a fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

Enjoy!
Sherry


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