Improvisation in Music and Philosophical Hermeneutics

Dr Sam McAuliffe (Monash University, Australia)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
23 February 2023

Theory of music & musicology; Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology; Philosophy: aesthetics

In the first book to examine

the overlooked relationship between musical improvisation and philosophical hermeneutics,

Sam McAuliffe asks: what exactly is improvisation? And how does it relate to

our being-in-the-world?

Improvisation in Music and Philosophical Hermeneutics answers these questions by investigating the underlying structure of

improvisation. McAuliffe

argues that improvising is best understood as attending and responding to the

situation in which one find itself and, as such, is essential to how we

engage with the world. Working within the hermeneutic philosophical tradition

– drawing primarily on the work of Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and

Jeff Malpas – this book provides a rich and detailed account of the ways in

which we are all already experienced improvisers.

Given the dominance of music

in discussions of improvisation, Part I of this book uses improvised musical

performance as a case study to uncover the ontological structure of

improvisation: a structure that McAuliffe demonstrates is identical to the

structure of hermeneutic engagement. Exploring this relationship between improvisation

and hermeneutics, Part II offers a new reading of Gadamer’s philosophical

hermeneutics, examining the way in which Gadamer’s accounts of truth and

understanding, language, and ethics each possess an essentially

improvisational character.

Working between philosophy and

music theory, Improvisation in Music and Philosophical Hermeneutics unveils the hermeneutic character of musical performance, the musicality of

hermeneutic engagement, and the universality of improvisation.

By: Dr Sam McAuliffe (Monash University Australia)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781350338012
ISBN 10: 135033801X
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 23 February 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: The Structure of Improvisation, Derived from Music Chapter 1: The Conversation of Improvised Musical Performance Chapter 2: Place and the Origin of Improvisation Chapter 3: Where Are We When We Improvise Music? Part II: Improvisation in the Philosophical Hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Chapter 4: Improvising with Gadamer Chapter 5: Hermeneutics and the Call to Improvise Chapter 6: Improvisation, Ethics, and Factical Life Coda: Soon We Shall Be Song Bibliography Index

Sam McAuliffe is a philosopher and musician living in Melbourne, Australia. McAuliffe completed his PhD at Monash University, Australia and his work has been published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Critical Horizons, and the Journal of Aesthetic Education.

Reviews for Improvisation in Music and Philosophical Hermeneutics

A lively exposition of the structure of improvisation in music and everyday life! McAuliffe builds on the work of thinkers in both the continental and analytic traditions, consolidating their insight and providing a good deal of his own. Readers will discover that improvisation in music reflects the experience of interpretation in general. * Bruce Ellis Benson, University of Nottingham, UK * This is a ground-breaking volume which widens our understanding of the scope of philosophical hermeneutics. Using the example of musical improvisation, the author argues convincingly that understanding an artistic practice involves both identifying and participating in the spontaneously unfolding rationale that is its heart * Nicholas Davey, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Dundee, U.K * Beyond the theme of improvisation in music, both classical and jazz, Sam McAuliffe reads philosophical interpreters from philosophical hermeneutics to analytic music aesthetics and including the performers themselves. By offering a phenomenology of improvisation 'in the moment,' this is a study of vital new perspectives. * Babette Babich, Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University, US *