Verba, Cynthia - Music and the French Enlightenment

Around the middle of the eighteenth century, the leading figures of the French Enlightenment engaged in a philosophical debate about the nature of music, prompted by the controversial views of the composer-theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau. Their dialogue was one of extraordinary depth and richness and dealt with some of the most fundamental issues of the French Enlightenment. In the newly revised edition of Music and the French Enlightenment, Cynthia Verba updates this fascinating story with the prolific scholarship that has emerged since the book was first published.

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CONTENTS

Prologue
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Rameau and Rousseau Launch the Debate
3. Music as Expressive Art: Rameau versus Rousseau on Expressive Means and Content
4. Music as Science: The Contribution of d'Alembert
5. Music as Art and Science: Changing Conceptualizations by Diderot, 1748-1760
6. Music as Art and Science: Changing Conceptualizations by Diderot, 1761-1771
Epilogue
Key Passages in Translation
Chapter 2:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from Letter sur la musique francaise
Jean-Philippe Rameau, from Observations sur notre instinct pour la musique
Chapter 3:
Jean-Philippe Rameau, from Erreurs sur la musique dans l'Encyclopedie
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from Dictionnaire de musique, Opera
Chapter 4:
Jean le Rond d'Alembert, from Elemens de musique theorique et pratique, Discours preliminaire
Chapter 5:
Denis Diderot, from Entretiens sur Le Fils naturel, Troisieme entretien
Denis Diderot, from Lecons de clavecin et principes d'harmonie, par M. Bemetzrieder
Select Bibliography
Index