Why Classical Music Still Matters (Paperback)

"What can be done about the state of classical music?" Lawrence Kramer asks in this elegant, sharply observed, 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 by engaging both skeptics and music lovers alike.
In seven highly original chapters, "Why Classical Music Still Matters" affirms the value of classical music--defined as a body of nontheatrical music produced since the eighteenth century with the single aim of being listened to--by revealing what its values are: the specific beliefs, attitudes, and meanings that the music has supported in the past and which, Kramer believes, it can support in the future.
"Why Classical Music Still Matters" also clears the air of old prejudices. Unlike other apologists, whose defense of the music often depends on arguments about the corrupting influence of popular culture, Kramer admits that classical music needs a broader, more up-to-date rationale. He succeeds in engaging the reader by putting into words music's complex relationship with individual human drives and larger social needs. In prose that is fresh, stimulating, and conversational, he explores the nature of subjectivity, the conquest of time and mortality, the harmonization of humanity and technology, the cultivation of attention, and the liberation of human energy.

General

Imprint:	University of California Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	2009
First published:	2009
Authors:	Lawrence Kramer
Dimensions:	216 x 140 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	243
ISBN-13:	978-0-520-25803-7
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Western music, periods & styles > General Books > Music > Western music, periods & styles > General Promotions
LSN:	0-520-25803-7
Barcode:	9780520258037

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!