The Dawn of Music Semiology (PDF)

Showcases the energy and diversity of the young field of music semiology, appealing to readers who want to explore the meaning of music in our lives.

The Dawn of Music Semiology showcases the work of nine leading musicologists, inspired by the work of Jean-Jacques Nattiez, the founding father of music semiology. Now entering its fifth decade as Nattiez enters his eighth,music semiology, or music semiotics, is still a young, vibrant field, and this book reflects its energy and diversity. It appeals to readers wanting to explore the meaning of music in our lives and to understand the ways of appreciating the complexities that lie behind its simple beauty and direct impact on us.
Following a preface by Pierre Boulez and an introduction by the editors, nine chapters discuss the latest thinking about general considerations such as music and gesture, the psychology of music, and the role of ethnotheory. The volume offers new research on topics as diverse as modeling folk polyphony, spatialization in the Darmstadt repertoire, Schenker's theory of musical content, compositional modernism from Wagner to Boulez, current music theory terminology, and Maderna's use of folk music in serial composition.

CONTRIBUTORS: Kofi Agawu, Simha Arom, Rossana Dalmonte, Irène Deliège, Jonathan Dunsby, Jonathan Goldman, Nicolas Meeùs, Jean Molino, Arnold Whittall

Jonathan Dunsby is Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. Jonathan Goldman is Professor of Musicology at the University of Montreal.