Imagination of Experiences - Musical Invention, Collaboration, and the Making of Meanings

Aimed at lay, student, and academic readers alike, this book concerns the imagination and, specifically, imagination in music. It opens with a discussion of the invalidity of the idea of the creative genius and the connected view that ideas originate just in the individual mind. An alternative view of the imaginative process is then presented, that ideas spring from a subconscious dialogue activated by engagement in the world around. Ideas are therefore never just of our own making. This view is supported by evidence from many studies and corresponds with descriptions by artists of their experience of imagining. The third subject is how imaginations can be shared when musicians work with other artists, and the way the constraints imposed by trying to share subconscious imagining result in clearly distinct forms of joint working. The final chapter covers the use of the musical imagination in making meanings from music. The evidence is that music does not communicate meanings directly, and so composers or performers cannot be looked to as authorities on its meaning. Instead, music is commonly heard as analogous to human experience, and listeners who perceive such analogies may then imagine their own meanings from the music.

List of contents

Introduction
1. The redundant genius, who won’t lie down and die
2. The musical imagination as dialogue
3. Sharing imaginations
4. Making musical meanings: the imaginative listener

About the author

Charles FasanaroCharles Fasanaro withdrew from his graduate studies in chemistry at North Carolina State University in 1967 to work for Behavior Systems, Inc., training dogs to detect landmines and trip wires in Vietnam. In 1969, he went to Vietnam as a civilian volunteer to work on a secret project designed to identify innocent villagers from the Viet Cong as well as to assist the mine-dog platoon members. His work saved many lives.When he returned from Vietnam, he earned his M.A.R. with distinction from the Iliff School of Theology and his Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from the joint doctoral program at Iliff/University of Denver. His 50+ years of teaching included faculty positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder and St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM. He earned the RL Stearns Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement at CU-Boulder (the university's highest honor), Master Scholar from the University of Denver, and Alumni of the Year at Iliff. Ever since he returned from Vietnam in 1969, he has been counseling combat veterans, helping them to conquer PTS, and transition to productive citizens and family members.Alan TaylorIn addition to being a freelance writer for many decades contributing numerous articles for regional and national publications on a variety of subjects, Alan Taylor taught composition at the University of Colorado, Boulder, from 1986-1993, earned his M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM, then taught English at Santa Fe Preparatory School in Santa Fe, NM, for 19 years, where he was honored with the Griffin Chair for Inspirational Teaching and the Shelton/Whitehill Grant for Teaching Excellence.

Summary

Aimed at lay, student, and academic readers alike, this book concerns the imagination, and specifically imagination in music. It opens with a discussion of the invalidity of the idea of the creative genius and the connected view that ideas originate just in the individual mind.

Product details

• Authors: Alan Taylor
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.04.2021
• EAN: 9780367569280
• ISBN: 978-0-367-56928-0
• No. of pages: 122
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Music > Instrument lessons