Antonio Banfi and His School of Thinking in Contemporary Musical Aesthetics

Abstract

The Italian philosopher Antonio Banfi (1886-1956) was engaged in aesthetic research in the first half of the 20th century, and in the twenties and thirties founded his own school of thinking at the Milan University. On one hand, Banfi represents a link between European tradition and the influences of Kant and Hegel, and on the other, a »lightning conductor« for new, innovative thoughts that were spreading throughout Europe (Simmel, Dessoir, Valéry, and above all Husserl). The paper gives a survey of guidelines of Banfi’s aesthetics, tracing their influence upon the formation of Italian musical aesthetics.