P.D. Magnus (research)

Mag Uidhir on Performance

British Journal of Aesthetics, July 2008.

Versions available

Abstract

Christy Mag Uidhir has recently argued (a) that there is no in principle aesthetic difference between a live performance and a recording of that performance, and (b) that the proper aesthetic object is a type which is instantiated by the performance and potentially repeatable when recordings are played back. This paper considers several objections to (a) and finds them lacking. I then consider improvised music, a subject that Mag Uidhir explicitly brackets in his discussion. Improvisation reveals problems with (b), because the performance-event and the performance-type are distinct but equally proper aesthetic objects.

BibTeX

@ARTICLE(Magnus2008b,
	AUTHOR = {P.D. Magnus},
	TITLE = {Mag Uidhir on Performance},
	JOURNAL = {British Journal of Aesthetics},
	YEAR = {2008},
	VOLUME = {48},
	NUMBER = {3},
	MONTH = jul,
	PAGES = {338--345},
	NOTE = {doi:10.1093/aesthj/ayn031}
)