Song Loves the Masses : Herder on Music and Nationalism

Distinguished Ethnomusicologist Philip V. Bohlman Compiles Johann Gottfried Herder's Writings On Music And Nationalism, From His Early Volumes Of Volkslieder Through Sacred Song To The Essays On Aesthetics Late In His Life, Shaping Them As The Book On Music That Herder Would Have Written Had He Gathered The Many Strands Of His Musical Thought Into A Single Publication. Framed By Analytical Chapters And Extensive Introductions To Each Translation, This Book Interprets Herder's Musings On Music To Think Through Several Major Questions: What Meaning Did Religion And Religious Thought Have For Herder? Why Do The Nation And Nationalism Acquire Musical Dimensions At The Confluence Of Aesthetics And Religious Thought? How Did His Aesthetic And Musical Thought Come To Transform The Way Herder Understood Music And Nationalism And Their Presence In Global History? Bohlman Uses The Mode Of Translation To Explore Herder's Own Interpretive Practice As A Translator Of Languages And Cultures, Providing Today's Readers With An Elegantly Narrated And Exceptionally Curated Collection Of Essays On Music By Two Major Intellectuals--provided By Publisher. Prologue : Again Herder -- Folk Song At The Beginnings Of National History : Alte Volkslieder (1774) -- The Folk-song Project At The Confluence Of Music And Nationalism : Volkslieder (1778/1779) And Stimmen Der Völker In Liedern (1807) -- Singing The Sacred Body : Lieder Der Liebe -- The Nation And Its Fragments : Extract From Correspondence About Ossian And The Songs Of Ancient Peoples -- Songs Of The Enlightenment Bard : Homer And Ossian -- Redemption Through Sacred Song : Letter 46, Theological Writings -- The Shores Of Modernity : Wirkung Der Dichtkunst Auf Die Sitten Neuerer Zeiten -- The Epic As Nation : Herder's Cid -- Music Transcendent And Sublime : On Music (1800) -- Epilogue : Herder's Journey. Johann Gottfried Herder And Philip V. Bohlman. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 285-305) And Index. Translated From The German. Cover -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Note on the Text -- Note on Translation and Commentary -- Prologue: Again, Herder -- PART I. THE ONTOLOGY PROJECT -- 1. Folk Song at the Beginnings of National History: Essay on Alte Volkslieder (1774) -- Translation from Alte Volkslieder / Ancient Folk Songs -- 2. The Folk Song Project at the Confluence of Music and Nationalism: Essay on Volkslieder (1778/79) and Stimmen der Völker in Liedern (1807) -- Translation from Volkslieder and Stimmen der Völker in Liedern / Folk Songs and Voices of the People in Song -- Appendix A: Introduction to the Folk Song Texts -- Appendix B: Translation from the Folk Song Texts -- 3. Singing the Sacred Body: Essay on Lieder der Liebe (1778) -- Translation from Lieder der Liebe: Die ältesten und schönsten aus Morgenlande / Songs of Love: The Oldest and Most Beautiful from the Orient -- PART II. THE HISTORY PROJECT -- 4. The Nation and Its Fragments: Essay on "Briefwechsel über Ossian und die Lieder alter Völker" (1773) -- Translation from "Briefwechsel über Ossian und die Lieder alter Völker" / "Correspondence about Ossian and the Songs of Ancient Peoples"--5. Songs of the Enlightenment Bard: Essay on "Homer und Ossian" (1794) -- Translation of "Homer und Ossian" / "Homer and Ossian"--6. Redemption through Sacred Song: Essay on Letter 46, Theologische Schriften (1780/81) -- Translation of Letter 46, Theologische Schriften / Theological Writings -- PART III. THE NATION PROJECT -- 7. The Shores of Modernity: Essay on "Wirkung der Dichtkunst auf die Sitten neuerer Zeiten" (1777) -- Translation from "Wirkung der Dichtkunst auf die Sitten neuerer Zeiten" / "The Influence of Poetry on the Customs of Modernity"--8. The Epic as Nation: Essay on Herder's Der Cid -- Translation from Der Cid / The Cid Distinguished ethnomusicologist Philip V. Bohlman compiles Johann Gottfried Herder’s writings on music and nationalism, from his early volumes of Volkslieder through sacred song to the essays on aesthetics late in his life, shaping them as the book on music that Herder would have written had he gathered the many strands of his musical thought into a single publication. Framed by analytical chapters and extensive introductions to each translation, this book interprets Herder’s musings on music to think through several major questions: What meaning did religion and religious thought have for Herder? Why do the nation and nationalism acquire musical dimensions at the confluence of aesthetics and religious thought? How did his aesthetic and musical thought come to transform the way Herder understood music and nationalism and their presence in global history? Bohlman uses the mode of translation to explore Herder’s own interpretive practice as a translator of languages and cultures, providing today’s readers with an elegantly narrated and exceptionally curated collection of essays on music by two major intellectuals.