Review: ‘Introduction to Music Aesthetics’ by Yō Kuniyasu

Book Reviews

(Originally posted on April 9, 2002)

This book is a still-excellent introduction and guidebook that covers the history and outline of music aesthetics, offering commentary and criticism on them. The author refers to this book as a “prolegomena to music aesthetics,” and it is expected that readers will proceed from here to their respective “main studies.”

Chapter 3, “The Essential Characteristics of Music,” touches upon the nature of musical time, the affinity between music and the self, and the unique meaning of musical sensuousness. It further attempts to show “a world of sensuousness in a special sense” by referencing Kierkegaard’s theory of music, making it one of the highlights of the book.

Since the book was published in 1981, the bibliography at the end does not, of course, reflect newer literature. However, as it primarily features works considered classics, it is very helpful for beginners to learn about fundamental literature.

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As the title suggests, this book is an “introduction.” Rather than delving into contemporary aesthetic problems, it is like a catalog of “how history has perceived music.” In other words, it can be said that this book is a prolegomenon for each individual to use as a stepping stone to embark on their own journey of understanding.

The author’s writing is clear, and his arguments are lucid. As you read through it like an excellent historical narrative, you will naturally encounter historical matters such as past doctrines and trends. As a result, you may feel as though your vocabulary for discussing music has expanded. And for that very reason, I think you will find it all the more difficult to express music in words.

The situation where “the more you begin to understand, the more you realize you don’t know” is a favorable one in learning and growth. For me, this book was a good teacher, a good textbook. It doesn’t teach you how to walk, but I have the impression that, before I knew it, it had given me the minimum strength to start walking on my own.

When I look back at the textbooks I used as a child, I’m often surprised by the gap between the compact content of the textbook itself and the magnitude of what I gained from it. I feel exactly that same sensation from this book. Rereading it after some time, I am struck with admiration for its quality as an introductory work.

Table of Contents of ‘Introduction to Music Aesthetics’

  • Preface
  • Part One: Fundamental Theory of Music Aesthetics
    • Chapter One: The Origin of Music – Mousikē
      • Music and Mousikē / Technē and Mousikē / Characteristics of Mousikē / The Dismantling of Mousikē / The Case of Japan
    • Chapter Two: Sound
      • Music and Sound / The Fundamental Existential Character of Sound / Musical Sound as a Bearer of Meaning
    • Chapter Three: The Essential Characteristics of Music
      • Abstractness / Motility / Temporality / Close Relation to Emotion / Sensuousness
    • Chapter Four: Musical Works, Scores, and Sounding
      • The Musical “Work” / The Musical Work as Nomos / The Loss of the Nomos Character of the Musical Work
    • Chapter Five: Musical Experience
      • Composition / Performance / Listening Experience
    • Chapter Six: The Understanding of Music
      • Prerequisite for Understanding – Work-Centricity / Necessary Condition for Understanding – Analysis of the Work / Sufficient Condition for Understanding – Interpretation of the Work
    • Chapter Seven: Interpretation and Form
      • Conclusion
  • Part Two: The Flow of Thought in Music Aesthetics
    • Chapter One: Antiquity
    • Chapter Two: The Middle Ages
    • Chapter Three: The Early Modern Period
    • Chapter Four: The Modern Period
    • Chapter Five: The Contemporary Period
  • Notes / Bibliography of Music Aesthetics / Name Index / Appendix I / Subject Index / Appendix VII

About the Author

Yō Kuniyasu

Born in Dalian in 1938. Completed his graduate studies at the University of Tokyo in 1966. Currently (at the time of publication) a professor at Yokohama National University and a lecturer at the University of Tokyo and Jissen Women’s University. Specialization: Aesthetics and Art Studies. (Quote from this book)

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