Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Drawing upon the past two decades of burgeoning literature in philosophy of music, this study offers a comprehensive, critical analysis of what is entailed in performance interpretation. It argues that integrity and other virtues offset the harm that virtuosity and rigid historical authenticity can impose on the perceptive judgment required of excellent musical interpretation. Proposed are challenging and provocative reassessments of the appropriate roles for virtuosity and historical authenticity in musical performance. Acknowledging the competitive ethos of the contemporary music scene, it details the kind of character a performer needs to develop in order to withstand those pressures and to achieve interpretive excellence. Performers are encouraged to examine and explore the ethical dimension of their art against their responsibilities to the diverse patrons they serve.

Professional and student performers and instructors will appreciate this practical discussion of the ethical challenges performers confront when interpreting musical works. The ethical discourse applies to instrumental performance studies, the history and theory of music, general music pedagogy, and philosophy of music courses.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments (p. ix)
• Introduction (p. xi)
• 1. Musical Interpretation (p. 1)
• 2. Turning the Soul toward Excellence: The Character of the Performing Artist (p. 25)
• 3. Virtue or Virtuosity? (p. 39)
• 4. Historical Authenticity: Vice or Virtue? (p. 67)
• 5. Integrity in Musical Performance (p. 93)
• Conclusion (p. 111)
• Bibliography (p. 113)
• Index (p. 119)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The notion of ethics in the context of music performance may seem irrelevant in light of the still-living traditions of virtuosity, received from the 19th century. However, composers, in particular, have long been concerned with the ethical ramifications of translating score into sound. The florescence of the historical performance movement during the last 50 years has sharpened discussion of performance ethics; the present volume joins strands of that "authenticity" discussion with other, more general and more fundamental ones. In the first chapter O'Dea (philosophy, Univ. of Lethbridge, UK) surveys some standard theories of musical interpretation. This is less a full review of the literature than it is the establishment of context for the discussion. In the remaining four chapters she considers not only the issue of historical authenticity, but also virtuosity, character, and integrity in performance. The author determines that character does indeed matter in performing music, and that virtue and virtuosity are not antithetical but deeply connected. The book is an exhortation for performers to behave responsibly, and it could hardly be more welcome at the beginning of the 21st century. Recommended for large libraries serving upper-division undergraduates through faculty and for professionals. B. J. Murray University of Alabama

Author notes provided by Syndetics

JANE O'DEA is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education and an adjunct member of the Philosophy Department at the University of Lethbridge./e