Etudes on the Philosophy of Music

Drawing on the author's four decades of experience as a concert oboist, this open access book studies a number of foundational issues in the philosophy of music, such as musical meaning and expression, musical ontology and the existence of the musical work, the relation between music and language, and the phenomenology of music. The book surveys the development of Western classical music from the Baroque era through to the 20th century, both from the perspective of contemporary Lithuanian philosophers such as Girnius, Maceina, Sliogeris, and Jackūnas, and 20th century European philosophy. In addition to discussing key questions in the philosophy of music, the book also analyses technical musical terms such as articulation, phrasing, and rhythm.