Formalism, Expressivism, and the Visceral in Music

Abstract

<p>This thesis is a critique of formalist and expressivist theories of presented by Eduard Hanslick and Susanne Langer. It concentrates on the relation between the structure of the musical work and musical experience, particularly with respect to externalizing features in music and the understanding of musical structure as musical form. It culminates in an argument in favour of incorporating the visceral element of music in our evaluations of music's artistic value, such that musical experience is considered in both its cognitive and visceral modalities.</p>