MHST 336 - Introduction to the Philosophy of Music


Semester Offered: First Semester
Full Course
Credits: 4 Credits
Attribute: CNDP, DDHU

This course will provide a general introduction to the philosophy of music, with a focus on musical aesthetics from the mid-eighteenth century to the present.  Specific questions to be addressed will include: what is the relationship between music and language?  Is music meaningful; if so, how does it create and communicate meaning?  And what makes music beautiful?  Writers to be considered will be Plato, Aristotle, Baumgarten, Hume, Kant, Rousseau, Hegel, Hanslick, Schopenhauer, Wagner, and Adorno.  Students will complete three exams and two short papers. 
Enrollment Limit: 15
Instructor: J. O'Leary
Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes
Prerequisites & Notes
One 200-level course in music history or consent of the instructor. 


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