Pleasure and Meaning in the Classical Symphony

Classical music permeates modern life whether in the grocery store, on public radio, on hold on the telephone, or in traditional orchestral settings. In her provocative and groundbreaking study, Melanie Lowe explores why the public instrumental music of late-18th-century Europe has remained accessible, entertaining, and distinctly pleasurable to such a variety of listeners for nearly 250 years.

Pleasure and Meaning in the Classical Symphony is the first work of its kind to examine how conce...