Musikalische Gestik

Musical gestures are described here in the context of their historical development and at the same time interpreted against a wider semantic field. The volume offers a concise introduction to the different dimensions of the theme and defines the many levels of the topic from the basic expressive gesture to the study of musical movement. The question of how gestures developed to intensify or carry meaning has its roots in fundamental questions of the evolution of language and music. Discussion of the gestures of music-making and the expressivity of gesture involve sound pantomime as much as the motor functions of playing. Questions specific to music can thus offer insights into the very nature of music and music-making on a very general level, yet one which is based in evolutionary biology.