Musical Meaning: Toward a Critical History

"A major work of consistently striking originality and insight, produced by a mature scholar at the peak of his career. To his subject Kramer brings a distinctly impressive command of recent cultural and critical theory, and an equally impressive knowledge of a broad range of music literature, from Beethoven to Coltrane. Kramer reads music and musical practices with captivating, compelling insight. His work provides readers with an immeasurably better grasp of how and what music means, and also how music shapes people."—Richard Leppert, author of The Sight of Sound

Lawrence Kramer is Professor of English and Music at Fordham University and the coeditor of 19th Century Music. He is author of six books, including After the Lovedeath: Sexual Violence and the Making of Culture (California 1997), Classical Music and Postmodern Knowledge (California 1995), and Music as Cultural Practice, 1800-1900 (California 1990).