Who needs classical music? : cultural choice and musical value /
During the last several decades, most cultural critics have come to agree that the division between 'high' and 'low' art is an artificial one, that Beethoven's Ninth and 'Blue Suede Shoes' are equally valuable as cultural texts. In Who Needs Classical Music?, Julia...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Language Notes: | English. |
| Published: |
Oxford ; New York :
Oxford University Press,
2002.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | During the last several decades, most cultural critics have come to agree that the division between 'high' and 'low' art is an artificial one, that Beethoven's Ninth and 'Blue Suede Shoes' are equally valuable as cultural texts. In Who Needs Classical Music?, Julian Johnson challenges these dominant assumptions about the relativism of cultural judgements. The author maintains that music is more than just 'a matter of taste': while some music provides entertainment, or serves as background noise, other music functions as art. This book considers the value of classical music in contemporary society, arguing that it remains distinctive because it works in quite different ways than most of the other music that surrounds us. In this long essay, Johnson aims to restore classical music's intrinsic aesthetic value and to rescue it from a designation as mere signifier of elitism or refinement. Who Needs Classical Music? is certain to spark debate among cultural critics and have important repercussions for arts policy. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (140 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-132) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780198033554 0198033559 9780195146813 0195146816 1280532076 9781280532078 0199755426 9780199755424 0195185145 9780195185140 |