Bernstein’s Philosophy and the Language of Jazz

Chapter 1 looks at Bernstein’s writings on musical meaning, national style, and jazz to reveal the philosophy behind his use of jazz and its significance as a part of his long-term project to define American musical identity. A definition of the jazz idiom, according to Bernstein’s understanding, is interwoven with three important strands of Bernstein’s musical thinking: the primacy of tonality, the value of music as a unique form of human communication, and the formation of national identity in music. The chapter focuses particularly on Bernstein’s Harvard honors thesis, the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (published as The Unanswered Question), and The Joy of Music.