Analyzes musical works through the theoretical frameworks of narratology and French structural semiotics, especially that of A J Greimas. This book views theories from the 'classical' semiotic tradition, from Saussure to Peirce to Lotman, as possible foundations of musical semiotics.

Foreword by Thomas A. SebeokPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart One: Theoretical BackgroundI. In Search of a Theory1.1 A Brief Critical History of Musical Semiotics1.2 Reflections on the Logic of Musical Discourse1.3 The Problem of Narrativity in Music1.4 Toward the Definition of Modalities: Signs in Opera1.5 On the Truth in Music1.6 The Theory Itself in an Abridged FormII. Musical Time2.1 Music in Micro-Time: The Role of Memory2.2 Music in Macro-Time: Music Models throught the AgesIII. Musical SpaceIV. Musical Actors4.1 Ernst Kurth as a Precursor of Musical Semiotics: Steps toward the Definition of Actoriality in Music4.2 From Musical Subjects to Theme-ActorsPart Two: AnalysesV. Semiosis of the Classical Style: Beethoven's "Waldstein"VI. Narrativity in Chopin6.1 Polonaise-Fantaisie and the Idea of Narrative Program6.2 Writing a Modal Grammar: Chopin's Ballade in G MinorVII. Music and Literature7.1 The Case of Obermann: Franz Liszt and Marie d'Agoult in Switzerland7.2 "Apres un reve": A Semiotic Approach to the Study of Musical PerformanceVIII. Music and Visual Arts: Pictures and Promenades—A Peircean Excursion into the Semiosis of MusorgskyIX. The Semiotics of Symphonism: A Deconstruction of National Meanings in Sibelius's Fourth SymphonyX. Toward the Modern Scene10.1 Debussy's Impressionism in the Prelude "...La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune"10.2 Minimalism and Anti-NarrativityConclusionAppendix: "Apres un reve"GlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex