>  The idea of "absolute music" is 
>thus an expression of the desire of composers and theories in that
>time to live up to these standards.  For the complete rundown on 
>that topic, see Carl Dahlhaus' "The Idea of Absolute Music".  


Excellent post, Tobias.

For those interested in this topic, I'd definitely recommend
Luke Windsor's dissertation, which is an exploration of the 
relationship between the aesthetic and the perceived as particularly
embodied in acousmatic music and musique concrete.

 -- Eric