Aesthetics of Music: Aesthetics of Music in Ancient Civilizations

The Aesthetics of Music is a specialized field of Philosophy which studies fundamental questions. Regarding the mind, what is the role of the senses? What is the role of experience? What are the influences of pleasure and pain? Following the pioneer work of Aristotle, the most fundamental definition lies in the distinction between art music and entertainment music. But what is the role of the public? Everyone knows that the purpose of music is to communicate emotions. But does this purpose refer to the emotions of the composer, the performer or the listener? These are important questions relative to music and society. Virtually all early philosophers found the value of music education to lie in character development. What did they mean? This volume, the first of eight, reviews philosophical thought on the Aesthetics of Music from before Socrates through the Roman Empire.