The Musical Topic

Raymond Monelle was formerly Reader in Music at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he is now an Honorary Fellow. His work on music theory and semiotics is internationally known. His books include Linguistics and Semiotics in Music and The Sense of Music. He has been a composer, pianist, and conductor, and writes music criticism for The Independent, Opera magazine, and other publications.

Contents
List of Plates
Preface
Note on Titles of Musical Works
Part One: Topic Theory
1. Topic and Expression
2. The Literary Source of Topic Theory
3. Signifier and Signified in Music
Part Two: Huntsmen
4. Signifier: The Hunting Horn
5. Signified: Hunts Noble and Ignoble
6. Musical Hunts
7. The Topic Established
Part Three: Soldiers
8. The Military Signifier: 1. The March
9. The Military Signifier: 2. The Military Trumpet and Its Players
10. The Military Signified
11. The Soldier Represented
Part Four: Shepherds
12. The Pastoral Signified: The Myth
13. The Pastoral Signifier
14. The Pastoral in Music
15. New Pastorals
16. Epilogue
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Bibliography
Index