| Peter Kivy is contemporary American philosopher and musical aesthete. He has a dual degree in philosophy and musicology with an in-depth reflection on eighteenth-century British empirical philosophy, and he is also adept at analyzing problems concerning philosophy of art with analytic aesthetics, while his rich academic background makes his research quite interdisciplinary. The most prominent research achievements of Kivy concentrate on the field of musical aesthetics. On the whole, his viewpoints on musical aesthetics are autonomic and formalistic, yet he is not limited by this that he strives to use "enhanced’" formalism to address the problems of traditional musical formalism, and carries out an in-depth analysis of the relationship between emotion and music to practice the strategy of incorporating emotive factors into the absolute music itself to find a more reasonable explanation for the autonomy of absolute music. His efforts are generalized as "emotional cognitivism" by some authoritative scholars in contemporary western community of musical aesthetics, and Kivy recognizes this generation as well. It should be mentioned that "Emotional cognitivism "is the core idea of Kivy’s music aesthetics, which is also the object of this paper.So-called "emotional cognitivism" is Kivy’s biased answer to the "ancient debate" in the realm of absolute music—over the relationship between emotion and music, where there are two camps in debate —"cognitivists" and "emotionalist". On the one hand, he agrees with "cognitivists" in regarding emotion as an expressive attribute of music and negating the opinion that "music can arouse emotion in audience"; on the other hand, he also stresses that he does not advocate impassive analysis of music, one should not completely repudiate the propositions of "emotionalist" as musical emotion and cognition do not clash. In brief, "emotional cognitivism" is a mild conciliation for the relationship between music and emotion from the standpoint of formalism and cognitivism by means of "incorporation", i.e., incorporating emotion into music and regarding emotion as music’s auditory attribute which objectively exists in music. Kivy’s "incorporation" is his "enhancement" of traditional formalism and he makes argumentations to materialize the "enhancement". In this paper, the author will separate following sections to discuss Kivy’s "emotional cognitivism" according to combination of synthesized and analytical methods.Introduction firstly introduces Kivy’s academic background and research achievements, explains the origin and the proposition of "Emotional cognitivism" as well as several sets of similar terms that would appear in the discourse. Then he justifies "cognition" based on the "emotion" issue. Although Kivy lucubrates a range of emotion-related issues, yet it does not mean he is an "emotionalist"; his stance on the study of musical aesthetics is firmly based on "cognition" and formalism, and his "contour theory" is also an explanation built on what is generally acknowledged by "cognitivists". Kivy makes the maintenance for the cognition. Firstly, he fully endorses the cognitive theorists’ claim that emotion is classified as property of music perception, also agrees that cognitive theorists describe the music with emotional terms, but does not endorse the cognitive camp who makes the "no feelings" analysis on pure music. So he involves deeply into emotional issues, in order to alleviate the "coldness" of cognitive theory, meanwhile to confront the limitations of the emotional theory, which is his core conciliation made between cognition and emotion.Secondly, Kivy demonstrates in detail what he endorses about cognitive theory when he focuses on the experience of pure music.About the understanding, description and interpretation of the pure music, Kivy refutes several common ideas about emotional theory, using the analysis aesthetics. Meanwhile he confirms the role of cognition in the aspects of pure music appreciation, understanding and so on.Then expounds on status quo of this study at home and abroad, methodological tools used in this article and two primary issues to be solved in this article, and explicates the theoretical and practical value of this study through explaining the problems above.Discussion on occurrence and origin of "emotional cognitivism" has been made with a question in Chapter One. In general, "emotional cognitivism" can be deemed as the discussion on art philosophy from perspective of analytic aesthetics, a long dominated western mainstream methodology in twentieth century, which naturally became the methodological root of "emotional cognitivism". Firstly,in view of aesthetical ideology root, Kivy was influenced by British empirical philosophy in eighteenth century, the focus of his earlier research. Focusing on empirical philosophy naturally drew his attention to "emotion" during the study of music aesthetics. Later, his treatment to music emotional factors has laid the foundation for "emotional cognitivism ".Secondly, as a formalist paying great importance to conception of history, Kivy has made repeated analysis on formalism of Kant and Hanslick. Undoubtedly, he was deeply influenced by them. Furthermore, that’"emotional cognitivism" considers itself as "enhanced" formalism is precisely because the "enhanced" is more as fora kind of psychological mechanism rather than simply on emotional aspect, "contour theory" is some kind of psychological "heterogeneous isomorphism", similarity can be found between which and Leonard Meyer who also prefers to make analysis from the psychological perspective.For more than once, Meyer’s theories of "expectation" and "style" have also been analyzed by Kivy, whom may be influenced by Meyer with a great possibility.Chapter Two discusses "contour theory", the starting point of "emotional cognitivism". As solution of the problem "How do emotions present in music?" "contour theory",has been put forward based on Kivy’s thoughts of musical and emotional problems. This solution is a preliminary indication of Kivy"s stance as a formalist. "Contour Theory" is the basis of "emotional cognitivism", is the way to upgrade the traditional musical formalism, is also the key for Kivy to solve the relationship between music and emotion.In short, "contour theory" uses a theory of similarity to explain "how emotion exists in music", believing that there are "profile" similarities between the movements occurring when people express certain emotions (sad or joyful, etc.) and descriptive way or auditory way in which music is perceived as corresponding emotions. Well, low and slow melody music the same as people in sadness, they all contain objective attributes of sadness, the similar sadness connecting music and emotion, making the both the existence of a "heterogeneous isomorphism". "Contour Theory" strongly refutes the emotion theorists" claim "music appeals to our feelings", saying that emotion has become an objective perceptual properties presented in music. So that, Kivy finds a suitable location for the emotion.This chapter mainly aims to solve several problems through scrutiny of "contour theory":Firstly, what essences did "contour theory",draw from“heterogeneous isomorphism" in Susan Langer’s semiology and what the difference between them; secondly, the unique inter disciplinarity of "contour theory’" provokes our reflections on many relevant theories, in which "metaphor" and "image schema”in cognitive linguistics are the most comparable; thirdly, people prefer to consider "contour theory" as a "similarity theory". Stephen Davis has had in-depth discussion on this and put forward his own theory of similarity.So what’s the difference between "contour theory" and Stephen Davis"s similarity theory in solving problems related to relationship between music and emotion? What’s their advantages and disadvantages respectively? Finally, making discussion on whether "contour theory" can effectively solve emotional problems as the starting point of Kivy’s formalism and its limitations through analysis on the theory itself and comparison between it and several relevant theories.Chapter Three begins to make discussion on the core of "emotional cognitivism"--- "enhanced formalism", the extension of "contour theory", further manifests Kivy’s stance of formalism. This chapter illuminates logical relationship between "contour theory" and "enhanced formalism",from emotional and cognitive perspective and makes discussion on Kivy’s treating approach to relationship between emotion and cognition. In general, "contour theory" has provided a theoretical basis supporting the contention that emotion consists in music as an objective attribute, and after "contour theory", "enhanced formalism"boldly takes contour theory’s conclusion as an "enhancement" for former formalism. What is different is that the purpose of "contour theory" is to go deep into emotion and figure out how emotion exists, whereas "enhanced formalism" is Kivy"s "enhancement"’of traditional formalism based on "contour theory"rs solution for emotion issue from the standpoint of formalism. on the other hand, it clarifies issues and gaps between formalism and "enhanced formalism", pointing out the limitations of traditional formalism and exploring core of the "enhancement"--- emotional attributes, in-depth study of which has been made to "enhance" the traditional formalism. Kivy"s "enhancement" of traditional formalism is threefold:firstly, from the viewpoint of traditional formalists, the possibilities of describing music with emotive terms are highly limited, but "enhanced formalism" believes that music can totally be described by emotive terms; secondly, "enhanced" formalism can, by virtue of "contour theory"’s approach, regard musical emotion as an auditory attribute, which objectively exits in music; thirdly, proposition of traditional formalism can be compatible with the emotive attribute of music, the combination of both is "enhanced formalisim".Finally, discussion on "enhanced formalism" for its advantages and disadvantages is made through comprehensive survey from three dimensions including semantics, historicism and social function.Chapter Four begins to discuss development and application of "emotional cognitivism",Kivy mostly devotes to analysis on pure music experience, fully reflected by his " emotional cognitivism ". This chapter makes detailed discussion on Kivy’s criticism to purely musical experience, mainly including three parts.Firstly,discussing Kivy"s analysis on three common purely musical experience modes and commenting Kivy’s conclusion:obvious limitations can be found in purely musical experience in arousal mode and representation mode. In contrast, emotional cognitive mode is more effective; Then, this paper analyzes Kivy"s understanding of absolute music and opinions on deep interpretation issue. For the understanding issue, one the one hand, it examines Kivy’s contention that "to understand is to be able to describe", and compares "musical grammar" that he has discussed with everyday language. On the other hand, it examines the drawbacks of Kivy’s understanding by combining Hans-Georg Gadamer’s discussion over the meaning of absolute music; for deep interpretation issue, deep structure of absolute music is examined based on examples and musical analysts’ theories. Analyzing Kivy’s understanding of pure music and ideas of deep interpretation on relevant problems, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses, while focusing on discussion on feasibility of Kivy’s applying language analysis into pure music appreciation; finally, making comprehensive comments on Kivy’s pure music experience research from the standpoint of " emotional cognitivism "Chapter Five turns to discussion on conflicts between music and literature in view of "emotional cognitivism", which is another dispute of autonomy and heteronomie beyond the relationship of music and emotion.Kivy’s discussion on relationship between music and literature from the standpoint of formalism is statement of its own way.Making scrutiny of the statement from a historical perspective and focusing on discussion of Kivy’s interrogation of music narratology, this chapter aims to solve two major problems:What’s the limitation of explaining pure music using "strong" and "weak" narratology?What’s the predicament by using narratology to interpret pure music? To Kivy, "strong" and "weak" narrative interpretations for absolute music are wrong logically that the practice of imposing plots on absolute music on the part of "strong" narrative interpreters represented by McClary cannot bear closer analysis, and the premise of interpretation for absolute music proposed by "weak" narrative musicologists may not exist since above all absolute music does not have clear plot prototype. To Kivy, in terms of interpretation for absolute music, "strong" and "weak" narratologies are even less reasonable than "enhanced formalism".Chapter Six makes a comprehensive review of aesthetic values and theoretical limitations of "emotional cognitivism". In this part, two main questions to be solved in this thesis are answered and expectations of "emotional cognitivism" and multi-disciplinary integration development have been put forward. Kivy goes into music-emotion relationship, raises the question of "how emotion exist in music" and tries to answer, his way of answering is characterized by analytic aesthetics, that is, not to give his own answer first, but firstly examine several viewpoints on this question, analyze them one by one, point out their irrationalities and then provides his own solution-"contour theory". After showing personal attitude toward "emotion" and "cognition", Kivy’s "emotional cognitivism" proposition is increasingly clear. Proceeding from emotion issue, he gradually solves the problem of "how emotion exists in music" with methodologies of analytic aesthetics from the standpoint of cognition and formalist autonomy, and applies it to many philosophical problems regarding absolute music and discussion over music versus literature.The conclusion answers two questions which are important for this paper. I. Whether it is feasible to apply analytical aesthetics to the study of philosophy of music. This chapter will answer this in a broad sense and a narrow sense. In a broad sense, Kivy’s practice breaks the silence of the application of analytic aesthetics to a concrete art like music, offering a broader view for studying analytic aesthetics and musical aesthetics. In a narrow sense, Kivy makes a close combination of multidisciplinary theories such as cognitive science, empirical philosophy and linguistic analytical approaches and advanced results while applying analytic aesthetics to the study of musical aesthetics, which enriches the study of concrete issue in many aspects. Ⅱ. Whether it is effective to reconcile emotive heteronomy and formalistic autonomy by using "emotive cognitivism"s conciliation by considering emotion as auditory attribute. The author of this article believes that Kivy’s "one-of-a-kind" conciliation is successful, but Kivy’s conciliation is still disputable when it comes to addressing specific conflicts between emotion and form, autonomy and heteronomy.Kivy’s research is highly transdisciplinary and reasonable, to some extent, in reconciling autonomy and heteronomy of musical aesthetics, more importantly he follows analytical aesthetics’principle of anti-essentialism and pursuing clarity, successfully adopting linguistic analytical methods to the study of musical aesthetics. His results deserve a more comprehensive examination, as domestic scholars in the realm of musical aesthetics and cutting-edge theories also need more exhaustive studies as reference. This paper hopes to gain an accurate grasp of Kivy’s aesthetic thoughts through studying his original English works and meanwhile further explore contemporary cutting-edge theories on musical aesthetics. |
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