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Original scientific paper

The Ontology of Music according to Ivan Focht

Tomislav Škrbić orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-2572-8869 ; Državni arhiv u Sisku, Sisak, Croatia


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Abstract

The Croatian-Bosnian philosopher of art Ivan Focht (1927-1992) dealt with the notion of music within the context of an ontology (metaphysics) of music. According to Focht, music is the repetition of cosmic orders, and mathematical regularities, so that his ideas on music coincide with the Pythagorean-Platonic understanding of music. Concerning methodology, Focht supported objectivism, i.e. he approached the phenomenon of music from the perspective of aesthetic objects. The structure of the musical being (musical work) Focht perceived as a non-mediated unity of tonal material and the spiritual-metaphysical aspect (ontological monism). However, the crucial importance in understanding the musical being represents the modality of music, especially the modality of possibility (essentialism). Thus Focht’s discussion of the modality of music had been directly connected with Pythagoreanism, i.e. the mathematical-noetical definition of music. It is exactly against the background of Pythagorean ideas that Focht develops the basic difference between a music by itself and the music for us. Thus the difference between the ideal-noetic and the real-aesthetic music becomes the central moment in treating the problem of identity of a musical work, introducing in the musical being the element of heteronomy. Also important in Focht’s understanding of music is the ontological function of music, which enables a specific overcoming of various dualisms (rational / irrational, form / contents, representative arts / non-representative arts, etc.). Finally, Focht situated the secret of music in the spiritual-metaphysical plan of the musical being, linking it subsequently with the »modal mystery« of the transition of music from ideal possibilities to the sphere of reality.

Keywords

Ivan Focht; ontology of music; essence of music; modality; Pythagoreanism; ideal; reality

Hrčak ID:

173163

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/173163

Publication date:

27.1.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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