Comparing Bodies: Organicism and the Rise of Romantic Formenlehre
May 8, 2015·
Caleb Mutch
Abstract
The rise of organicist metaphors and the development of formal theories are two striking early-nineteenth century developments, and although they have received scholarly attention, the significance of their intermingling has been overlooked. By examining the writings of A.B. Marx and his predecessors, I find that methods of considering musical form have important parallels with developments in biology, parallels which newly illuminate how Romantic Formenlehre arose from a reconceptualization of animal and musical bodies.
Date
May 8, 2015
Event
Music Theory Midwest annual conference
Location
Rochester, MI.
