Theodor Adorno is one of this century's most influential thinkers in the
areas of social theory, philosophy, aesthetics, and music. Throughout
the essays in this book, all of which concern musical matters, he
displays an astonishing range of cultural reference, demonstrating that
music is invariably social, political, even ethical.
Adorno's insistence on the social character of aesthetic works will come
as no surprise to those familiar with his writings, although many may be
surprised by the volume's somewhat colloquial tone. This colloquialism,
in dialogue with Adorno's unceasing rigor, stems from the occasional
sources of many of the essays, mainly public lectures and radio
addresses. As such, this volume represents an important and, for
English-language readers, largely unfamiliar side to Adorno. His
arguments move more quickly than in his more formal and extended
musicological works, and the writing is much more accessible and
generous than his usually dense and frequently opaque prose.
This volume includes essays on prominent figures in music (Alban Berg,
Anton von Webern, Arturo Toscanini), compositional technique (the
prehistory of the twelve-tone row, the function of counterpoint in new
music), and the larger questions of musical sociology for which Adorno
is most famous, including the relation of interpretation to audience,
the ideological function of opera, and the historical meaning of musical
technique. The essay on the sociology of music, for example, represents
an early statement of what would soon become trademark principles of his
mode of musical analysis, serving as a catalyst for his famous study
Introduction to the Sociology of Music.
Some forty years after most of these essays were written, they remain
fresh and relevant. In part, this is because Adorno's method has only
recently begun to make substantial inroads into Anglo-American
musicology. And the interdisciplinary nature of his thought provides a
precursor for today's interdisciplinary studies.
