Musik als Zugang zur ästhetischen Lebensanschauung

Summary: This paper discusses Kierkegaard's remarks about music in the first part of his book Either-Or and examines the role of music in the context of the aesthetic view of life. The theme of the musical-erotic is, first of all, related to Kierkegaard's complete œuvre as well as to the relevant diary entries. Secondly, the romantic aesthetic of music, as it has influenced Kierkegaard, is illustrated with selected examples. Thirdly, the author interprets the chapter on the musical-erotic in Either-Or. It can be shown that Kierkegaard interprets the seducer Don Juan from a romantic perspective as the embodiment of a sensual-erotic genius and thereby as a figure of unfathomable depth, which is perfectly represented by the music of Mozart's opera Don Juan. No other form of art is better suited for this than music, which Kierkegaard relates as a demonic art to the dark forces within humans. By listening attentively, Kierkegaard can identify the form of human existence that becomes present in music.