Music's Meanings

Book excerpt: “In addressing a pedagogical problem ―how to talk about music as if it meant something other than itself – Philip Tagg raises fundamental questions about western epistemology as well as some of its strategically mystifying discourses. With an unsurpassed authority in the field, the author draws on a lifetime of critical reflection on the experience of music, and how to communicate it without resorting to exclusionary jargon. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in music, for whatever reason: students, teachers, researchers, performers, industry and policy stakeholders, or just to be able to talk intelligently about the musical experience.” (Prof. Bruce Johnson)