Music to Hear on Here: Butler on Ownership

Friday, February 25, 2011

Butler on Ownership

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n05/judith-butler/who-owns-kafka

This is a short and recent piece written by 'our very own' Judith Butler. The article discusses the discussion on works of art as national or cultural 'assets.' The main focus is on Kafka as an 'asset' of Israel - so it would be very easy to imagine this scenario using Dylan. It does not deal with music explicitly - but it is a nice way to brush up on art as commodity with 'ownership' as well as Judith's thoughts on this (-- as well as your thoughts as to whether this can be applied directly to music, I don't mean for 'art' to be an identical domain for all 'arts')

Oh, and I also I wanted to thank Aaron very much for running the blog. I have no idea how you manage your time so well, but you should give me some tips. I really appreciate your work.

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Course Description

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." Martin Mull (or Elvis Costello)

Thinking about the meaning and value, intellectual, affective and neurological experiences, and aesthetics of music has occupied an important position in modern and contemporary philosophical writings. Central to the philosophy of music is a questioning of what music is insofar as it is an art form and practice, akin to but different from other arts, such as drama, literature, painting, sculpture, to name but a few examples. Claims have been made, in fact, that music’s effect, when performed and listened to, surpasses those of the other arts because of its abstact purity, of its universality, and of its singular capacity to express, represent and incite emotions. This course will explore such issues in 19th-20th century philosophy. We will begin with introductory readings of what composes the field and discipline of the philosophy of music. We will read—among other philosophers, novelists, critics and musicologists—Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Barthes and Adorno’s writings on music. Finally, we will have the occasion to read about and listen to specific musicians, both high and low, and explore the contexts of their work, concentrating on the historical and political dimensions of the practice, performance and art of making music.