Editor: Suzanne Ryan "In my opinion, this is the most important book on music aesthetics to appear in the last several decades.... Goehr does not seek a universal definition for music and its meanings but instead traces the history of the 'work concept' in Western music. She both reveals the developments that cemented the notion of the musical work in ... Read morethe 19th century and also examines the limits of that notion."
Susan McClary, Professor of Musicology, University of California
Los Angeles "This book is not only a major contribution to the philosophy of music, but is also vitally important to understanding music history and performance practice. Further, those interested in rethinking the conventions of today's classical music world should not miss it."
Bernard Sherman, Iowa Public Radio, author of Inside Early Music: Conversations with Performers, co-editor of Performing Brahms Show Less