Aesthetics and Music is a fresh and often provocative exploration of the key concepts and arguments in musical aesthetics. Anyone interested in what contemporary philosophy has to say about music as an art form will find this thought-provoking and highly enjoyable book required reading.

From Pythagoras, Plato and Pop to Kant, Nietzsche and Jazz, this introduction draws on the rich heritage of the subject and provides distinctive new ways of thinking about music as an art form, covering:

- The experience of listening
- Rhythm and musical movement
- What modernism has meant for musical aesthetics
- The relation of music to other 'sound arts'

Now updated and illustrated throughout, this 2nd edition features guides to further reading, discussion questions and additional material on the sound of music as well as new chapters on the aesthetics of perfection and the aesthetics of recording.

Andy Hamilton is Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Durham University, UK. He writes for the contemporary music magazine The Wire, and is a jazz pianist.