This book is a collection of essays that examine the influence of music in relation to socio-cultural development vis-a-vis aesthetics, religion, philosophy, psychology, politics, axiology and spirituality. The essays trace the evolution of musical traditions, as well as attitudes about art in general, from the cultures of antiquity to the present. In addition to the historical development of the Western Classical music tradition of Europe, there are essays that explore the musical traditions of Asia, American popular music and the influence of African and Latin musical characteristics in the development of Ragtime music, Gospel music and Jazz.
Because music has been viewed throughout history as having "transformational" attributes in terms of personal and societal betterment, there have been copious writings and treatises about the influence of art and music including those by Confucius, Lu Bu Wei, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Anicius Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, David Hume, and more recently by Roger Scruton, Richard Taruskin, Charles Rosen, Leonard Bernstein, Camille Paglia, Heather MacDonald, Daniel Barenboim, Michael Walsh and Edward Rothstein. The observations of these artists and authors, and many others, are cited in the essays.
The author, David Eaton is a professional composer, conductor and producer who has conducted orchestras in concerts and recording projects in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, and Central and South America. As a composer and arranger he has 103 original compositions and over 900 arrangements, transcriptions and recordings to his credit.
