| Abstract |
This book presents an outline of the relation of music and the other arts to the ways of life the thoughts, and the beliefs of the nations of Europe. It is the author's theory that the student of music, as well as the general reader, can gain a better perspective of the arts if they are regarded not only as the expression of the genius of particular individuals, but of the mind and character of a wider community in successive phases of its experience. Most fields of study have become so specialized that it is nearly impossible to keep the wider human perspectives in view. One is likely to be overwhelmed by the inexhaustible riches of artistic experience which invite exploration into long-neglected centuries. This book, however, provides the reader with a concise and intelligible guide to the history of music in terms of the broad developments of the European mind - using the word "mind" not in the limited sense of the intellect but in an all-embracing way which includes human character, aspiration, and achievement. Thus, within the framework of history, the author records the shaping of Western religious, social, intellectual, artistic, and scientific conceptions. In tracing their varied evolutions, he presents a picture of a fascinating past, and shows the unity of a tradition which underlies the ramifications of the present. |
