Phenomenology of Music and the Promise of Intentionality
Benjamin Steege
The Oxford Handbook of the Phenomenology of Music March 24, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197577844.013.2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that Husserl's intentionality, as developed in early twentieth-century music phenomenology, offers resources for understanding one's orientation to and disclosure of a shared world, while correcting misreadings of Conrad and Ingarden, particularly regarding intentional versus ideal objects and the transcendental. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter introduces Edmund Husserl’s crucial notion of “intentionality” as it pertains to music. It develops a sense of the possibilities of phenomenological intentionality by focusing on applications in some significant early twentieth-century writings on music. The first section gives a broad overview of the notion, indicating how it might support novel theorizations of one’s orientation toward the world, one’s ability to disclose aspects of the world, and the shared, public character of that world. The second and third sections provide critical readings of work by, respectively, Waldemar Conrad (arguably the first “phenomenologist of music” proper) and Roman Ingarden (one of the best known of the early aesthetic phenomenologists). In general, these rereadings defend against misconstruals of key terms, including the conflation of “intentional objects” with “ideal objects,” and the misunderstanding of the “transcendental” as a matter of removing musical matters from the world, whereas the opposite is encouraged in the most vibrant strains of phenomenology.
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