The Sonic Self: Musical Subjectivity and Signification

by Naomi Cumming

"Semioticians began by looking at literature but have gradually applied their techniques to other disciplines, including music. The late Naomi Cumming . . . based this consideration of the sources of musical expression on her experiences as a performer―with interesting, if rarely surprising, results." ―Choice

Using classical violin music as her principal laboratory, the author examines how a performance incorporates distinctive features not only of the work, but of the performer as well―and how the listener goes about interpreting not only the composer's work and the performer's rendering of the work, but also of the performer's and listener's identities. A richly interdisciplinary approach to a very common, yet persistently mysterious, part of our lives.

Hardcover

First published January 22, 2001

Reviews

[FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cumming approaches fascinating questions about musical communication, and makes a good case for her explicitly semiotic method of analysis. But the philosophical density of her writing is honestly a bit difficult for me; despite her often lucid exposition the details end up opaque enough that I find it unsatisfying to try to better grasp her project.