This collection investigates the intersection of musical semiology and the perception of time, questioning how structural analysis informs our understanding of musical meaning and authenticity. Jean-Jacques Nattiez, a prominent musicologist, utilizes his established theoretical framework to examine the works of diverse figures including Claude Lévi-Strauss, Eduard Hanslick, and Marcel Proust. By focusing on the status of time within these works, Nattiez addresses fundamental musicological problems such as the nature of musical facts and the complexities of performance practice. His arguments serve to navigate the ongoing tension between modernist and postmodernist perspectives in music theory.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the field of musical semiology, noting its rigorous application of theory to both oral and written traditions. Readers frequently highlight the academic density of the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of semiotic principles to fully grasp the author's arguments.