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Enhanced Formalism

Enhanced Formalism. reconciliation of formalism and the emotions. Enhanced Formalism. Traditional Formalism (Hanslick, Gurney): emotive properties of music only as either dispositional (arousal) or representational (referential), which they dispute

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Enhanced Formalism

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  1. Enhanced Formalism reconciliation of formalism and the emotions

  2. Enhanced Formalism • Traditional Formalism (Hanslick, Gurney): • emotive properties of music only as either dispositional (arousal) or representational (referential), which they dispute • Enhanced Formalism (Philip Alperson, Peter Kivy): • emotions as one of the heard properties of music, but without semantic or representational content • music’s specific human quality

  3. Emotions as Syntax • emotive properties in music as sonic patterns • e.g.: dissonance-resolutionexpectation-fulfilment,tension-rest, instable-stable

  4. Syntax of tension and resolution • historical context dependent

  5. ABSOLUTIST: "musical meaning lies exclusively within the context of the work itself.“ REFERENTIALIST: "musical meanings refer to the extramusical world of concepts, actions, emotional states, and character." FORMALIST: "the meaning of music lies in the perception and understanding of the musical relationships set forth in the work of art and that meaning in music is primarily intellectual“ EXPRESSIONIST: "the expressionist would argue that these same relationships are in some sense capable of exciting feelings and emotions in the listener" Two Pairs of Aesthetic Positions

  6. Formalism & Enhanced Formalism • Formalism • absolute music has no semantic or representational content • Enhanced Formalism • emotive properties are recognized as part of music’s structure and syntax • emotions in the music, not to be felt,but to be recognized

  7. Emotions in the Listeners • How/Why is music emotionally moving? • Hanslick: by listener’s state of mind or special circumstances—both aesthetically irrelevant • “Argument from Disagreement” • Enhanced Formalism: by the beauty and magnificence of the emotions in the music, but not moved to them • so “unpleasant” emotions also enjoyable, not as Aristotelian catharsis (absolute music too vague),but only if they are musically “beautiful” • “unexpressive” music also deeply moving, if beautiful

  8. Emotion: object-belief-feeling • object: the beauty of the music • belief: the music is beautiful (variable!) • feeling: not moved to the emotions in the music, but moved by their musical beauty and feel excited or exhilarated • “quasi-emotions”—without motivating effect

  9. Non-Formalist’s Challenge • Visual arts: representational • Literary arts: narrative • Music: only form without content, style without substance, meaningless, remote, empty?

  10. T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Man (1925) We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion…

  11. Formalist’s Response • lover of art • if only sees visual patterns and no representations?! • lover of poetry • if only listens to recitation but understands no words?! • lover of music • if only perceives tonal forms without “content,” OK!

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