Ontology of the Musical Work

Regular price €33.99
Quantity:
In stock with our UK publisher. 14-28 days
Delivery/Collection within 10-20 working days
14 days return policy Shipping & Delivery
A01=Laurent Cugny
analytical aesthetics
anglophone
Author_Laurent Cugny
Beatles Abbey Road
Brazilian
Category=AVA
Category=AVLP
Category=QDTN
Charlie Parker
continental paradigm
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_music
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Fifth Symphony
improvisation
Jerrold Levinson
Ludwig Van Beethoven score
Lydia Goehr
Nelson Goodman
nominalism
Peter Kivy
phonography
platonism
popular
rap
recording studios
Vincenzo Caporaletti
Western thought

Product details

  • ISBN 9781496861047
  • Dimensions: 156 x 235mm
  • Publication Date: 18 Feb 2026
  • Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Paperback
Secure checkout Fast Shipping Easy returns

What defines a "musical work"? Traditionally, this question has been dominated by Western art music and its reliance on prescriptive scores. Yet, with the rise of recording technologies and the growing influence of genres like jazz, pop, and rock, the very foundations of music’s ontology have shifted. In English for the first time, Ontology of the Musical Work: Scored Music, Jazz, Pop, and Rock explores these transformative changes, offering a groundbreaking framework for understanding how music is created, experienced, and valued in contemporary contexts.

This book introduces a new theory of music production—one distinct from the conventional paradigms of writing and orality—that emphasizes the unique characteristics of recorded music. Using this perspective, it critiques the traditional focus on scored music and reimagines the concept of the "musical work," bridging the divide between Anglophone analytic aesthetics and Continental philosophical traditions.

Ultimately, Ontology of the Musical Work redefines the cultural and aesthetic significance of jazz and popular music, offering fresh insights into their roles within a rapidly evolving musical landscape. A vital contribution to musicology and philosophy, this book equips readers with new tools to understand and appreciate the diverse ways music resonates in our world today.

Laurent Cugny is a musician, musicologist, and jazz specialist. Professor emeritus at Sorbonne University, he has published numerous essays and articles. As a musician, he played and recorded with Gil Evans, directed the French Jazz National Orchestra, and has released fourteen albums under his own name. He is author of Analysis of Jazz: A Comprehensive Approach, published by University Press of Mississippi.

More from this author