Music And The Origins Of Language

Downing A. Thomas

The search for the origins of language was one of the most pressing philosophical issues of the eighteenth century. What has often escaped notice, however, is the fact that music figures prominently in this search. This study analyses instances of thinking or reasoning about music and music theory as they appear within the logical and narrative structure of contemporary texts, including writings by Rousseau, Diderot, Rameau and Condillac. These can only be properly understood as part of an interdisciplinary project, as situated within a field of larger cultural issues and concerns. The author is interested in the ways in which music functions within this discursive framework to facilitate links between language and meaning, and between conceptions of an original society and an ideal social order.

Bibliographic Details

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Music and language
• 2. Origins
• 3. Music theory and the genealogy of knowledge in Condillacs Essai sur lorigine des connaissances humaines
• 4. Music and original loss in Rousseaus Essai sur lorigine des langues
• 5. Sensible sounds: music and theories of the passions
• Conclusion
• Biography
• Index.