The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics (1976)

Bernstein at Harvard

The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics (1976) poster

This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse:Semantics is the study of meaning in language, and Bernstein's third lecture, "musical semantics", accordingly, is Bernstein's first attempt to explain meaning in music. Although Bernstein defines musical semantics as "meaning, both musical and extramusical" this lecture focuses exclusively on the "musical" version of meaning.

Director: Humphrey Burton
Genre: Documentary, Music
Runtime: 143 min
Release Date:

Cast

Production: Harvard Productions
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Budget: $1,000
Box Office: $2,000
Original Language: en

Keywords

poetry, harvard university, linguistics, music, leonard bernstein

Trailer

The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics Trailer
More Films by Director: Humphrey Burton
More Films in Genre: Documentary, Music

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics about?
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse:Semantics is the study of meaning in language, and Bernstein's third lecture, "musical semantics", accordingly, is Bernstein's first attempt to explain meaning in music. Although Bernstein defines musical semantics as "meaning, both musical and extramusical" this lecture focuses exclusively on the "musical" version of meaning.
Who directed The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics was directed by Humphrey Burton.
Who stars in The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics stars Leonard Bernstein.
How long is The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics has a runtime of 2h 23m (143 minutes).
What genre is The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics is a Documentary, Music film.
What is the budget of The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics had a budget of $1,000.
How much did The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics gross?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics grossed $2,000 worldwide.
Where was The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics produced?
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics was produced in United States of America.