Music, restoration, performance and ontology: a guide for the perplexed

Abstract

I investigate the nature of the relationships between art and metaphysics in the tradition of classical music, performance art, and art restoration. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to the study of Musical Ontology. I begin in Chapter one by analyzing several theories of what a classical musical work is ontologically. I focus specifically on Idealism, Nominalism and Platonism. I defend the view that none of these proposals is fully satisfactory and able to resist objections. This leads in Chapter two to a discussion of the appropriate methodology for investigating the ontology of music, and the reasons for doing art ontology in general. I offer therefore a meta-metaphysical analysis of the ontology of art. I take into account four objections that can be formulated against art ontology: Eliminativism, Aestheticism, Historicism and Semanticism. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the study of the cases of performance art and restoration. Before tackling performance art and restoration, in Chapter three I investigate the concept of a work of art in general, arguing that there is no need to subsume all art under the work-concept. I claim that drawing a distinction between art-works and other art-phenomena is important to make sense of non-traditional contemporary art. In Chapter four, I consider the notion of performance art both historically and philosophically. I contend that performances can be understood in the comparison with experiments and games. Eventually, I examine the way in which performance art challenges our common understanding of art appreciation by means of the contrasting notions of immersion and interaction. In Chapter five, I consider the topic of art authenticity with regard to restoration. I refer to the work of Cesare Brandi to introduce some ontological problems that a philosophical reflection on restoration has to address.