The Memetics of Music: A Neo-Darwinian View of Musical Structure and Culture

Richard Dawkins's formulation of the meme concept in his 1976 classic The Selfish Gene has inspired three decades of work in what many see as the burgeoning science of memetics. This study is the first musicologically-orientated attempt systematically to apply the theory of memetics to music. In contrast to the two points of view normally adopted in music theory and analysis - namely those of the listener and the composer - the purpose of this book is to argue for a distinct and illuminating third perspective. The perspective is that of the (selfish) replicated musical pattern itself, and adopting it is central to memetics.

Author: Steven Jan
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 08/28/2007
Pages: 294
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780754655947

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2008 pg. 213

About the Author
Steven Jan is Senior Lecturer in Music in the Department of Music and Drama, University of Huddersfield, UK