The Orphic I

The Orphic I: A Philosophical Approach to Musical Collaboration starts from the premise that music is a realm of intersubjective human experience. Drawing on ideas common to both hermeneutic and pragmatic aesthetics, it examines forms of collaboration involving those who create, perform, and listen to music. A new interpretation of the Orpheus myth suggests a model for thinking about creative interactions where composer and performer adopt each other’s perspectives. This imaginative transfer of self—the Orphic I—has significant implications, both for the listener’s perception of authenticity in musical performance, and for the interactions of performers within a musical ensemble. Empathy and entrainment emerge as seminal animating forces in group music-making, providing a non-verbal basis for ethical decision-making among group members. The originality of The Orphic I is due in part to its truly unique, first-person illustrations of the theoretical theses. But Dean’s real innovation is in the specificity of his philosophical approach. His book is a clear example of the applicability of philosophical knowledge, of how ideas that too often remain solely in the realm of academic discourse can actually “work” in the discussion of cultural phenomena. —Dr Pravda Spasova,Professor of Philosophy, National Art Academy, Sofia