A consideration on how aesthetic inquiry can take a clearer and more productive direction, beginning with the name of the discipline. I commented earlier on the historical origin of aesthetics and used this as a springboard to argue for its greater breadth. Yet aesthetics has often been used to restrict appreciative experience and, in fact, the…[Read more]

A short note describing the difficulties that surround the definition of “art.”

In 1984 I published a chapter on the art song, simply entitled “Song,” in my first book, Music and Poetry: The Nineteenth Century and After (University of California Press). The chapter aimed to replace the traditional understanding of song as a harmonious fusion of words and music. The chapter has had a fortunate reception, but as time has run…[Read more]

A short article reflecting on the relationship of Schubert’s songs to the culture of modernity, with reference to the author’s 1985 article “The Schubert Lied.” Includes an account of the song “Wanderers Nachtled.”