Music and Analogy
Lawrence M. Zbikowski · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2017
This chapter reviews recent research on analogy and explains how humans’ capacity for analogical thought shapes the production and comprehension of music. The chapter includes an introduction to Lawrence Barsalou’s perceptual symbol systems theory, which is used to explain how embodied experience informs analogical thought, especially that associated with music. Analogical reference, an idea adapted from Peirce’s concept of iconicity, is introduced, leading to a systematic definition of the sonic analogs for dynamic processes that provide the foundation for musical grammar. The chapter also explores how meaning can be constructed through sequences of musical sound.