Husserl’s Model of Time-Consciousness, and the Phenomenology of Rhythm
The Philosophy of Rhythm December 26, 2019 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780199347773.003.0019 (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 three-phase model of temporal consciousness (retention, primal impression, protention) illuminates musical rhythm: listeners retain just-past sounds and anticipate upcoming ones, so short-term memory and anticipation should be studied in close interaction, and bodily engagement with rhythm shares this same temporal structure. The author contends, however, that Husserl's analysis does not do full justice to the complexity of rhythm phenomenology. |
Abstract
Chapter 18 examines the implications of Husserl’s model of temporal consciousness on the experience of musical rhythm. Any current moment of an experience, according to Husserl, includes three phases: retention (“holding-on” of the just-past), primal-impression (now-point), and protention (anticipation of what-is-just-about-to-come). Husserl’s analysis of time-consciousness is, the author argues, particularly useful in a study of rhythm, although this analysis does not do justice to the full complexity of the phenomenology of rhythm. First, Husserl’s framework, when applied to rhythm, suggests that listeners retain the just-past sounds and anticipate the sounds-to-come in the light of what has been heard. Short-term memory and short-term anticipation should thus be studied in close interaction. Second, Husserl’s model helps to frame a rich embodied phenomenology of rhythm. In bodily interaction with rhythm, one’s experience encompasses the perception of musical rhythm but also a bodily awareness of one’s own movements, where both aspects share the same temporal structure.