Mathis Lussy: A Pioneer in Studies of Expressive Performance

What are the historical roots of the rapidly growing branch of performance studies in contemporary music psychology? During the nineteenth century, the Swiss music theorist Mathis Lussy proposed a highly original theory locating the source of expression in performance within the musical structures rather than solely in the inspired soul of the performing artist. This book presents a comprehensive account of Lussy’s theories of musical rhythm and performance based on a survey of long-neglected archival sources and publications against the backdrop of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century psychology and aesthetics. Contents: Expressive performance–Affective response to music–The interdependency of affect and cognition in musical experiences–Respiration as a model for music rhythm–Kinesthesis–Musical rhetoric–Mimesis and formalism in musical aesthetics–Tonal attractions–Accentuation and expressive timing..