[quote1205678859=Andersen]
Does any aesthetic judgment whether in music, literature, the fine arts, etc., require technical knowledge in order to be authoritative?
[/quote1205678859]
I think the relation between aesthetic judgment, technical knowledge, and authority depends entirely on the particular instance. I would not say that it is absolutely necessary for one to have technical knowledge for one's judgement to be authoritative. It also really depends on what you mean by technical knowledge. With music, does this mean the ability to analyze its structures in a music theoretical manner? You know, do you have to be able to do Schenkerian analysis, for example? Or, do you consider 'technical knowledge' to be less strict and include refined ears, an understanding of the history of music, as well as perhaps a 'technical knowledge' of criticism?

[quote1206110534=CMZimmermann]
I think the relation between aesthetic judgment, technical knowledge, and authority depends entirely on the particular instance. I would not say that it is absolutely necessary for one to have technical knowledge for one's judgement to be authoritative. It also really depends on what you mean by technical knowledge. With music, does this mean the ability to analyze its structures in a music theoretical manner? You know, do you have to be able to do Schenkerian analysis, for example? Or, do you consider 'technical knowledge' to be less strict and include refined ears, an understanding of the history of music, as well as perhaps a 'technical knowledge' of criticism?
[/quote1206110534]
I had not heard of Schenkerian analysis (of music). I'm guessing that it's an analogous procedure to linguistic analysis in which language is broken down into phonetics, syntax, morphology, etc.

By "technical knowledge" what I had in mind was simply the knowledge and understanding that one has to acquire in order to read music. So to rephrase my question: Before it can be "authoritative", does the aesthetic judgment of a piece of music presuppose the ability to read music and/or perhaps the ability to play a musical instrument?

I suppose the answer to this question depends on what is meant by "authoritative". The best I can do here is to suggest that authoritative means an initiated source that commands respect and is listened to by the uninitiated. But when reading and being influenced by a music critic's recommendation - let's say for a new performance of a classical work on CD - I don't first establish his authority by making inquiries about his mastery of an instrument or formal qualifications as a musician. If I'm influenced, one way or the other, it will be on subjective grounds. This will boil down to my approving of someone else's approval of a work or a particular performance of it.

"Looks like someone has some reading to do." what would you reccomend for me to read ?????????

hmmmmm... have to chase it down my onselg,,, I reckon

we could jump off the trolley car with this bit o kit
Unreliable translations have hampered the reception of Adorno's published work in English speaking countries. Since the 1990s, however, better translations have appeared, along with newly translated lectures and other posthumous works that are still being published. These materials not only facilitate an emerging assessment of his work in epistemology and ethics but also strengthen an already advanced reception of his work in aesthetics and cultural theory.

but then the peanut bag might be empty

or, we could toss out the peanuts a search the popcorn section: we might come with something like this:

" A hermeneutical approach would emphasize the artwork's inherent meaning or its cultural significance and downplay the artwork's political or economic functions. An empirical approach would investigate causal connections between the artwork and various social factors without asking hermeneutical questions about its meaning or significance. Adorno, by contrast, argues that, both as categories and as phenomena, import and function need to be understood in terms of each other. On the one hand, an artwork's import and its functions in society can be diametrically opposed.'

but then we are still merely setting in the stands , waiting for the clowns, monkeys and elephants -------right ????????