- Semantic report of the meaning of a program or a text, if one is present.
- Hermeneutical analysis of ontological meaning, if such meaning is forthcoming.
- Final open listenings, during which any level of meaning – sound, syntax, or reference –
can be reported.
In this modified version, Ferrara assigns lower priority to the phenomenological description, and
makes reservations regarding the possibility of semantic and hermeneutical analyses. He thus paves
the way for giving greater priority to conventional analysis and historical context in his eclectic method.
Ferrara’s ten-step eclectic method for sound, form, and reference
In his eclectic method, Ferrara incorporates three approaches to musical analysis, phenomenolog-
ical, conventional, and hermeneutical, and underlines that it is important to let these approaches
function with a large degree of autonomy. ”Each system will guide and prescribe the nature of ques-
tioning within its province” (p. 180). It is Ferrara’s aim that the analyst should be responsive to multi-
ple levels of musical significance. Addressing these multiple levels, it is important to clarify whether
analytic questions are directed to sound, form, or reference of the music.
Ferrara states that the analyst must attempt to suspend prejudgements about what a musi-
cal work can mean. This is a Husserlian approach. Simultaneously, the analyst must remain open
to what the musical work might mean. This is a Hedeggerian approach, focusing on interpretation.
Finally, Ferrara emphasizes the importance of a meta-critical review, which delineates the strengths
and weaknesses of the single analytic components and the overall eclectic method. He describes his
method in ten steps:
- Historical Background
The first step is to place the piece within a historical framework, taking into consideration music his-
tory, cultural and political history as well as the composer’s overall production, his style and signifi-
cance.
After step one, Ferrara advises the analyst to focus on the specific piece of music during steps two
through seven, suspending potential comparison with other works.
- Open Listenings
An optional step, permitting the listener/analyst to orient himself in the overall sound, structure and
message of the work. - Syntax
Collection of syntactical data by implementing a conventional method of analysis. An attempt is
made to suspend the collection of phenomenological and hermeneutical data. - The Sound-in-Time
A phenomenological description of the sound-in-time according to a Husserlian approach. The
analyst suspends syntax and referential meaning from conscious attention as far as possible.
He describes coherent temporal units, which may combine into larger temporal structures. - Musical and Textual Representation
First level of musical representation, reference found in the meanings of a program or a text. - Virtual Feeling
Second level of musical representation, a report of the manner in which the work is expressive of