vix.ing · top · new · best · stats · spec

Adorno's Mahler and the Timbral Outsider

2006/01/01 by John J. Sheinbaum · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Computer Science · #Musicology and Musical Analysis #Diverse Music Education Insights #Music Technology and Sound Studies #Musical #Timbre #Aesthetics #Art #Literature #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1093/jrma/fkl002

openalex publication_date 2006/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Orchestral colour can be read as an important part, both literally and metaphorically, of Theodor W. Adorno's approach to Mahler. Adorno's examples of ‘breakthrough’, ‘suspension’ and ‘fulfilment’ show that timbre, traditionally considered largely irrelevant to music's deep structure, plays a significant role in his conception of Mahlerian form. For Adorno, these musical relationships resonated strongly with his post-Second World War concern for the plight of the outsider within the homogenizing bounds of modern society.

Cited by