1 Foundations of the Schenker Project

AbstractBasic aspects of Schenker's later thought can be traced to the 1890s, when Schenker was active in composition, performance, and music criticism. This chapter situates these activities in the contemporary Viennese context, emphasizing the relationship between Schenker and Eduard Hanslick. It outlines aspects of the idealist philosophy which coloured his thinking and criticizes recent approaches to the philosophical dimension of Schenker's thought. It traces the changes in Schenker's thinking about music — and in particular the concept of musical “logic” — that underpinned the development of his later theory. Much of the discussion is focussed round his early essay “The spirit of musical technique’ (1895), a new translation of which (by William Pastille) is included as an appendix.