ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an original theory of gesture in music and demonstrates its interpretative range in examples from Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. It offers additional kinds of evidence that specify more closely how musical concepts are tied to embodied experience. The book focuses on philosophy, cognitive linguistics and work on musical forces to suggest how thinking about musical gestures in terms of musical forces may help better understand the creation and experience of music. It examines the issue of the relation between topic and quotation when considering musical gestures. The book outlines gestures produced by performers and considers how breathing functions to support them. It shows that personality factors, such as extroversion and high intrinsic motivation, contribute strongly towards the desire and ability to develop as a solo performer.
