This is a blog for the community of Rhetoric 108—On the Philosophy of Music: "Music to Hear"—in the Department of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2011 and Fall 2011.
I was trying to remember the name of the school of dramatic theory from whence this came in class, could not, and so stifled my observation. Luckily google has saved me and allows me to point out the bleak perfection of this piece from Adorno's perspective. "Epic Theatre" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatre was an attempt at consciousness raising by way of the idea that the audience should not enjoy, identify with, nor be lulled into distraction by art but instead put in a mode of self criticism. Alas, just look at the audience, they are enjoying a song about a murdering gangster. . .
Yet it still seems to me that this further shifts the burden to the consumer of music and not the producer. Brecht and Weill intended for this piece to be received completely antithetically to how it was. I can't help but agree with Barthes, the author is dead. The culture industry may produce music as a commodity, but WE consume it as such. Is not consumption an act within our power, the ways and means if not the end? I suppose I would ask if there is a possibility for musical criticism and philosophy on a micro and not macro scale?
I was trying to remember the name of the school of dramatic theory from whence this came in class, could not, and so stifled my observation. Luckily google has saved me and allows me to point out the bleak perfection of this piece from Adorno's perspective. "Epic Theatre" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatre was an attempt at consciousness raising by way of the idea that the audience should not enjoy, identify with, nor be lulled into distraction by art but instead put in a mode of self criticism. Alas, just look at the audience, they are enjoying a song about a murdering gangster. . .
ReplyDeleteYet it still seems to me that this further shifts the burden to the consumer of music and not the producer. Brecht and Weill intended for this piece to be received completely antithetically to how it was. I can't help but agree with Barthes, the author is dead. The culture industry may produce music as a commodity, but WE consume it as such. Is not consumption an act within our power, the ways and means if not the end? I suppose I would ask if there is a possibility for musical criticism and philosophy on a micro and not macro scale?
- Birney