Abstract

A philosophical and empirical study of the music-listening process and what we already know about it. Six axioms develop the theory that music is a meta-language, a semantically closed tonal-rhythmic system through which meaning results from realized self-referenced inter-pattern relationships. It is shown that this meta-language represents the functioning of an independent multi-staged module, and that the description of this module applies to all accepted music (theory) systems. Will be of interest to music aestheticians, theorists, psychomusicologists, music educators, music education researchers, and music therapists. - Publisher.