Books by Julian (University of Sussex) Johnson

Pick up where Classic FM leaves offWhat does classical music mean to the Western World? How has it transformed over the centuries? With such a rich tradition, what relevance does it have today? Julian Johnson inspires readers to explore the field, and examines how music is related to some of the big ideas of Western experience including spirituality, emotion, the weight of history, and self identity.

This book considers the idea of nature in the music of Webern. It explores the wider social and cultural dimensions of the music, and in doing so it offers an important case study for the way in which social ideas can be discussed in relation to apparently 'abstract' modern music.