Aesthetics of Music

The field of music aesthetics concentrates on the fundamental premises that underly musical theory, practice, and the perception of music—for example, form, structure, content, time, expression, understanding, or interpretation—as central parts of a philosophy of music that is historically situated and relevant to present contexts at once. In this broader context, aesthetics concerns itself especially with sense impressions and their associated values, as well as with the standards by which we judge them, with the help of established philosophical and empirical methods and concepts. Approaches from music history and music sociology, women’s and gender studies, performance studies and public engagement, as well as topics like space, materiality, music theater studies, and intermediality are integrated into this research. The associated institute at the KUG — the Institute for Music Aesthetics — was founded by Harald Kaufmann as the Institute for Valuation Research in 1967. The Institute inhabits a special position in the field of aesthetics (in connection with growing interest in its musical branch) that includes visible contributions to international research (for example, through the publication series Studien zur Wertungsforschung) as well as research events and cooperations, including those embracing artistic activity and artistic research.

Spokesperson: Univ.Prof. Dr.phil. M.A. Andreas Dorschel

Institute 14 Aesthetics of Music