Music Aesthetics

Aesthetic is that branch of knowledge which deals with the historically determined essence of human values, their creation, appreciation and assimilation. It is a philosophical science concerned with the most general principles of aesthetic cognition of the world through any human activity, especially art and music, which formulates, confirms and perfects the results of this cognition according to the laws of nature. The impact of aesthetics is so pronounced that it can mould the system of aesthetic views of a society which leave their stamp on the entire material and cultural activity of man. Aesthetical experiences are the essence of any art; especially music is understood as synonym of Param Anand or the Supreme Bliss, the pleasure divine. Indian classical music has its deep roots in spiritual and aesthetical values. Music being the most complex types of fine arts, whose images do not have a pronounced representational function, provides the basis for intuitivist aesthetic conceptions. The aesthetics of Indian music is dependent on the basic elements of music. The specific use of these elements is capable of providing specific aesthetical experiences. Indian philosophers have studied these aspects from the philosophical, spiritual, religious and literary view-points but the very essence of aesthetics lies in the musical experience of these elements. Indian ragas have been assigned different moods and sentiments and they are sung according to their respective aesthetic sentiments for creating different emotional moods in the mind of the singer and the listener. There is a level of listening on which one simply hears these elements come and go and responds to them with feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness. It is something like enjoying the changing colours of a Kaleidoscope. This book will provide deep insight into the thoughts of the Indian and western philosophers regarding the aesthetics and its application to music and other arts.