Wolfgang Marx

Critiquing Oneself Back into Business?

Introduction

Critiquing oneself back into business?. Examine historical musicology's future amidst post-critical and post-truth challenges. This essay addresses relativism, expertise rejection, and offers a dialectical discussion for humanities.

Abstract

This essay investigates what I regard as the two main challenges for historical musicology today: where it might be heading in the age of post-critical musicology and how it should react to the age of post-truth whose perceptual and moral relativism paired with its a priori rejection of expertise represents a fundamental challenge to all academic pursuits – a challenge so serious that it needs to be addressed by musicology as much as by all other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Juxtaposing critical musicology and what many call “the music itself” I will undertake this discussion following the structure of the most dialectical of all musical forms, the sonata form – albeit with the proviso that the resulting synthesis cannot consist of the tonic asserting its primacy at the expense of the dominant; there will have to be a more equitable outcome.

Review

The essay "Critiquing Oneself Back into Business?" proposes a timely and ambitious exploration of the significant challenges facing historical musicology today. The author cogently identifies two primary concerns: the trajectory of the discipline in an era of post-critical thought, and its necessary response to the pervasive impact of a post-truth landscape. This latter point, with its inherent perceptual and moral relativism and distrust of expertise, is rightly framed not just as a musicological problem, but as a fundamental threat to the integrity of all academic endeavors. The abstract thus positions the work as highly relevant, addressing pressing epistemological and ethical questions pertinent to contemporary scholarship. A notable strength of the proposed investigation lies in its innovative methodological approach. The author intends to structure the discussion of critical musicology versus "the music itself" according to the dialectical principles of sonata form. This creative choice promises a sophisticated and musically informed analytical framework, suggesting a deep engagement with the very subject matter it seeks to critique and reformulate. Crucially, the abstract explicitly states that the desired synthesis will move beyond a simple assertion of tonic primacy, aiming instead for a more "equitable outcome." This signals a nuanced and thoughtful engagement, suggesting the essay will seek a genuine reconciliation or integration rather than a reductive return to previous paradigms or a wholesale rejection of critical advancements. While the abstract is compelling, the ultimate success of this essay will depend heavily on the rigorous execution of its ambitious premise. The central challenge will be to convincingly demonstrate how the unique structural properties of sonata form can effectively illuminate and resolve the complex philosophical and disciplinary debates at hand, particularly in achieving the promised "equitable outcome." Further, the argument will need to clearly articulate what "critiquing oneself back into business" concretely entails and how this self-reflection specifically addresses the dangers of post-truth relativism while navigating the complexities of post-critical discourse. Should the paper deliver on the rich promise of this abstract, it stands to make a significant and thought-provoking contribution to the ongoing conversation about musicology's future and its role in a challenging intellectual climate.

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