Most music we hear comes to us via a recording medium on which sound has been stored. Such remoteness of music heard from music made has become so commonplace it is rarely considered.
Musical Performance: A Philosophical Study considers the implications of this separation for live musical performance and music-making. Rather than examining the composition or perception of music as most philosophical accounts of music do, Stan Godlovitch takes up the problem of how the tradition of active music playing and performing has been challenged by technology and what problems this poses for philosophical aesthetics. Where does does the value of musical performance lie? Is human performance of music a mere transfer medium? Is the performance of music more expressive than recorded music? Musical Performance poses questions such as these to develop a fascinating account of music today. musicians - but via some recording medium on which sound has been stored.

Unlike other books on the philosophy of music, Stan Godlovitch considers music from the vantage point of active music-making. Rather than looking at the composition or the perception of music, Musical Performance considers playing traditions which have developed physical mastery to serve expressive ends. These traditions have been challenged by electronic technology which has made live, human performance seem a mere transfer medium. After developing a full model of traditional performance, Stan Godlovitch asks how well performance proper has stood up, and where (if anywhere) its unique value lies.
This radical new evaluation of music making in the past and future will be essential reading for students of aesthetics, the philosophy of music, as well as musicologists and performance specialists.