Playing with Signs: A Semiotic Interpretation of Classic Music by V. Kofi Agawu

Description: Playing with Signs by V. Kofi Agawu Of all the repertories of Western Art music, none is as explicitly listener-oriented as that of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Yet few attempts to analyze the so-called Classic Style have embraced the semiotic implications of this condition. Playing with Signs proposes a listener-oriented theory of Classic instrumental music th FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Of all the repertories of Western Art music, none is as explicitly listener-oriented as that of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Yet few attempts to analyze the so-called Classic Style have embraced the semiotic implications of this condition. Playing with Signs proposes a listener-oriented theory of Classic instrumental music that encompasses its two most fundamental communicative dimensions: expression and structure. Units of expression, defined in reference to topoi, are shown here to interact with, confront, and merge into units of structure, defined in terms of the rhetorical conventions of beginning, continuing, and ending. The book draws on examples from works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven to show that the explicitly referential, even theatrical, surface of Classic music derives from a play with signs. Although addressed primarily to readers interested in musical analysis, the book opens up fruitful avenues for further research into musical semiotics, aesthetics, and Classicism. Originally published in 1991.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Author Biography V. Kofi Agawu is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York Graduate Center. His books include On African Music; The African Imagination in Music; Music as Discourse; and Representing African Music. Table of Contents *FrontMatter, pg. i*CONTENTS, pg. vii*PREFACE, pg. ix*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, pg. xi*ONE. Introduction, pg. 1*TWO. Extroversive Semiosis: Topics as Signs, pg. 26*THREE. Introversive Semiosis: The Beginning-Middle-End Paradigm, pg. 51*FOUR. A Semiotic Interpretation of the First Movement of Mozarts String Quintet in C Major, K. 515, pg. 80*FIVE. A Semiotic Interpretation of the First Movement of Haydns String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76, No. 2, pg. 100*SIX. A Semiotic Interpretation of the First Movement of Beethovens String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132, pg. 110*SEVEN. Toward a Semiotic Theory for the Interpretation of Classic Music, pg. 127*EIGHT. Epilogue: A Semiotic Interpretation of Romantic Music, pg. 135*REFERENCES, pg. 145*INDEX, pg. 151 Review "This book is extraordinarily rich in suggestion. Ideas are imported from Umberto Eco, Roland Barthes, David Lidov, Edward Said... This is eclecticism at its most erudite and liberal."--Music and Letters Long Description Of all the repertories of Western Art music, none is as explicitly listener-oriented as that of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Yet few attempts to analyze the so-called Classic Style have embraced the semiotic implications of this condition. Playing with Signs proposes a listener-oriented theory of Classic instrumental music that encompasses its two most fundamental communicative dimensions: expression and structure. Units of expression, defined in reference to topoi, are shown here to interact with, confront, and merge into units of structure, defined in terms of the rhetorical conventions of beginning, continuing, and ending. The book draws on examples from works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven to show that the explicitly referential, even theatrical, surface of Classic music derives from a play with signs. Although addressed primarily to readers interested in musical analysis, the book opens up fruitful avenues for further research into musical semiotics, aesthetics, and Classicism. Originally published in 1991.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Review Quote "This book is extraordinarily rich in suggestion. Ideas are imported from Umberto Eco, Roland Barthes, David Lidov, Edward Said.... This is eclecticism at its most erudite and liberal."-- Music and Letters Details ISBN0691601925 Publisher Princeton University Press Series Princeton Legacy Library Year 2014 ISBN-10 0691601925 ISBN-13 9780691601922 Format Paperback Imprint Princeton University Press Subtitle A Semiotic Interpretation of Classic Music Place of Publication New Jersey Country of Publication United States Illustrations black & white illustrations Author V. Kofi Agawu Pages 168 Short Title PLAYING W/SIGNS Language English Media Book Residence US DEWEY 780 Translated from English Series Number 1169 UK Release Date 2014-07-14 Publication Date 2014-07-14 NZ Release Date 2014-07-14 US Release Date 2014-07-14 Alternative 9780691631523 Audience Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly AU Release Date 2014-09-22 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:161688205;

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