News and Events: MoL and PhD defenses

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9 May 2014, PhD defense, Lodewijk Muns

Candidate: Lodewijk Muns
Title: Classical Music and the Language Analogy
Date: Friday 9 May 2014
Time: 11:00
Location: Institut für Musikwissenschaft und Medienwissenschaft der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Am Kupfergraben 5, Berlin.
Promotor: Hermann Danuser and Remko Scha

This thesis investigates the relation between language and Western classical music. It argues that the linguistic notions of syntax, discourse, and quotation are relevant for an understanding of this musical style. It also observes that both music and language display hierarchical structures that may be described as recursive. This perspective allows the theorist to reduce complexity to underlying uniformity – but it may also give rise to false abstractions, and to theoretical constructs of dubious explanatory value. This is observed in the musical theories of Hugo Riemann, Heinrich Schenker, and, most recently, Lerdahl & Jackendoff, as well as in Noam Chomsky's linguistic Minimalism.

For more information, consult Lodewijk Muns ().

Please note that this newsitem has been archived, and may contain outdated information or links.