Mita Philosophical Society Lecture: "Spirit" as Sound—Rethinking "Modernity" Through Music, Part 1: Passion and Reason

April 17, 2018

Lecture Overview

"Western modernity" in the history of philosophy and thought can be seen as having its foundations laid by Immanuel Kant and reaching its zenith with G.W.F. Hegel of German Idealism. Inheriting and further developing Kant's rigorous inquiry into how "experience" through "consciousness" is possible and what it entails, Hegel came to perceive our reality as a series of processes in which "spirit" manifests itself. Ludwig van Beethoven, born in the same year as Hegel, developed the Western music of the period as "thought in sound," thereby opening up entirely new dimensions for both the forms of thought and the possibilities of musical expression.

With these two figures as the main points of reference, this series will feature various related philosophers, thinkers, and composers under a different theme for each installment. A philosopher and a performer will attempt to approach, from their respective viewpoints, the cultural background—centered on philosophy and thought—surrounding the musical works, as well as the intrinsic nature of the individual works themselves. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to reconsider what kind of era "modernity" was and what we in the present should inherit from it. This ten-part lecture series is scheduled to include themes such as "The Power of Sorrow," "The Cross in Music," "The Philosophy of Music," and "The Fluctuation Between Life and Death." This first installment, under the title "Passion and Reason," will feature the following three works.

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata"

Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5