Musical time and recording technology: A perspective from music theory.

Abstract

This thesis deals with two categories of musical time, concrete and subjective, and the effect of recording technology on musical time. Concrete musical time can be measured in an objective way, for example, through reference to standards of time external to the listener, such as clocks. Subjective musical time refers to the musical time that cannot be measured objectively: it depends entirely on the listener who experiences the musical work. It is my conclusion that recording technology affects the concrete aspect of musical time, but not the subjective one. Chapter one defines the relationship between time and different forms of art, as well as the relationship between time and music. Chapter two defines concrete and subjective musical time. Chapter three discusses recording technology and the changes it imposes on the musical aesthetic ritual. By musical aesthetic ritual, I mean the agreed-upon physical actions which are related to the activities involving music and the experience of music. Chapter four explains the influence of recording technology on certain musical aesthetic ideas such as the reproduction of music, the completeness of the musical work, and the temporality of the musical work. Chapter five presents my conclusions with regards to the influence of recording technology on concrete and subjective musical time.