Historical essays on individual musical compositions are implicitly critical in scope. The mere choice of the work to study implies value. Spending intellectual effort on sources of creativity and cultural reception of a work unworthy of admiration seems misdirected. While broader historical studies— of styles, genres, schools, or periods—treat of both masterpieces and lesser works, assumptions about critical appraisal influence the argument without pause. Conversely, informed analysis of the internal structure of a musical work cannot escape historical factors. Is the work a child of its time reflecting current values in métier, structure, and meaning, is it pregnant with possibilities anticipating future forms and manners of musical expression, or is it anachronistic? History affects criticism on different levels, and not always with full awareness on the part of the critic. Judgments of taste do not take place in a vacuum, and assessments of meaning are not unmindful of musical values. Such principles are the bedrock of research and writing, and one hesitates to introduce an essay by stating the obvious, except that this essay will be received as a contribution in the newly recognized field of musical exoticism, and its intent is to draw attention to the value of critical analysis in discourse consumed with “transcultural” influence—a term introduced in my dissertation on Colin McPhee (1983) and later utilized in another context as “transcultural” composing by Ralph Locke in his landmark study Musical Exoticism (2009).

Questions regarding musical values in criticism are not answered solely by analysis of the internal structure of a work nor by the relevance of the work as a source of meaning for the culture in which it thrives nor even by the immediate charm of its sound. Concepts used to describe music or categories used to classify music are ambiguous. The concepts of “musical value,” “music criticism,” “understanding music,” and for this essay “exotic,” “exoticism,” “beauty,” “innovation,” and “machine chinoise” cannot be grasped by simple definitions. Their meaning becomes apparent as they are applied in music analysis, and their applicability in a certain context is subject to varying interpretations.

What does it mean to “understand” music? Two books recently published in English share the same title Understanding Music; the common goal of each is to help the reader understand what it means to “understand music.”