Expression, Truth and Authenticity: On Adornos Theory of Music and Musical Performance

Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) is one of the most representative German philosophers of the 20th century and of the so-called Frankfurt School. Amongst the main topics of his critical thinking is aesthetic theory, which he developed in particular in a great number of his essays on music. By dealing mainly with Adornos theory of music and musical performance, the essays collected in this book offer critical insights not only into his approach to music, but also his philosophy as a whole. Adornos theory of music and musical performance does not merely exemplify his aesthetic theory, but, rather, plays an essential role in the development of it and of his critical approach to culture and society. (Introduction) Mário Vieira de Carvalho is Professor of Sociology of Music and Chairman of the Research Centre for Aesthetics and Sociology of Music (CESEM) at the Universidade Nova, Lisbon.