On Music

This is a great introduction to the philosophy of music – accessible yet sophisticated and comprehensive – that is distinguished by the range and variety of musical examples with which it illustrates the issues.

Stephen Davies, University of Auckland

Ted Gracyk’s On Music is the best brief overview there is of the core philosophical questions about music. It’s a great introduction to philosophy for music-lovers, packed with a wide range of pertinent musical examples, from birdsong to bluegrass, Romanticism to ragas. And for those already familiar with the questions it is a rare opportunity to see how a philosopher at the top of his game sees one set of answers hanging together – a unified vision of the nature and value of music.

Andrew Kania, Trinity University

“Gracyk writes clearly and cogently, in a philosopher’s idiom, about what is important about music. [He] supports his argument with copious examples from Western classical, folk, jazz, blues , pop, and Hindustani music. Summing Up: Recommended.”

J.M Carvalho, Villanova University, in Choice

Theodore Gracyk is Department Chair and Professor of Philosophy at Minnesota State University Moorhead