Theo-Utopian hearing: Ernst Bloch on music

This study offers a critical commentary on an unjustly neglected dimension of the work of Ernst Bloch, namely, his philosophy of music. The key text is the long opening section of his Spirit of Utopia, although a number of the shorter pieces are also relevant (gathered in Zur Philosophie der Musik, of which a selection has been translated as Essays on the Philosophy of Music). By critical commentary I mean an in-depth engagement this is both exposition and critical assessment, an approach that is indebted to the long tradition of biblical criticism. Briefly put, Bloch's philosophy of music is a sustained re-narration of the story of music.His story emphasises the human nature of music, focusing on the basic category of the note and its associated features, such as hearing, voice, dance, song, and rhythm. Bloch listens and writes with what may be called a phiosophical and theo-utopian ear, which he deploys to 'hear around corners' in order to espy the contours and glimpses of utopian promise