Fictionalism about musical works

The debate concerning the ontological status of musical works is perhaps the most animated debate in contemporary analytic philosophy of music. In my view, progress requires a piecemeal approach. So in this article I hone in on one particular musical work concept–that of the classical Western art musical work; that is, the work concept that regulates classical art-musical practice. I defend a fictionalist analysis–a strategy recently suggested by Andrew Kania as potentially fruitful–and I develop a version of such an analysis in line with a broad commitment to philosophical naturalism.