Why classical music still matters / Lawrence Kramer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kramer, Lawrence, 1946-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Music--Philosophy and aesthetics.

Music.

Physical Description:

viii, 242 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2007]

Summary:

"What can be done about the state of classical music?" Lawrence Kramer asks in this elegant and beautifully written extended essay. Classical music, whose demise has been predicted for at least a decade, has always had its staunch advocates, but in today's media-saturated world there are real concerns about its viability. "Why Classical Music Still Matters "takes a forthright approach and in seven highly original chapters affirms the value of classical music by revealing the specific beliefs, attitudes, and meanings that this music has supported in the past and which, Kramer believes, it can support in the future. In lucid and engaging prose, the book explores the sources of classical music's power in a wide variety of settings, from concert performance to film and television, from everyday life to the historical trauma of September 11. Addressed to a wide audience, "Why Classical Music Still Matters" will appeal to aficionados and skeptics alike.

Contents:

Classical music and its values

The fate of melody and the dream of return

Score and performance, performance and film : classical music as liberating energy

But not for me : love song and the heartache of modern life

The ghost in the machine : keyboard rhapsodies

Crisis and memory : the music of lost time

Persephone's fiddle : the value of classical music.

Notes:

"Simpson, imprint in humanities"--P. facing t.p.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-237) and index.

ISBN:

0520250826

9780520250826

OCLC:

71005782