RR 2011/386The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Music

The entry on the Aesthetics of Music in The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Craig, 2005) (RR 2006/011) states that “the aesthetics of music comprises philosophical reflection on the origin, nature, power, purpose, creation, performance, reception, meaning and value of music”. This is a useful starting point for understanding where and how philosophy/aesthetics and music/musicology interact with each other. Other disciplines crowd in as well (or are affected by this relationship) and these include sociology and history. The companion addresses and examines all these, applying them generously to music of all types and periods – world music...