1. Inclusions/Exclusions: The Field of ‘New Music’ in Europe and its Boundaries.
- Author
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Dražić, Lena
- Subjects
- *
MUSICAL composition , *CRITICAL thinking , *COMPOSERS , *CRITICAL discourse analysis , *SOCIOMUSICOLOGY - Abstract
The current of ‘critical composition’ has sought to stimulate critical thinking in its listeners by challenging compositional norms. One of its defining exponents is the composer Helmut Lachenmann, whose writings on music are analysed in this paper. Following the method of Critical Discourse Analysis, I then confronted them with the empirical research on ‘new music’ in order to locate the discourse in the social field in which it takes place. An important topic in Lachenmann’s writing is the definition of European art music and its delimitation against other forms of music. As the empirical investigations show, ‘new music’ audiences possess exceptionally high levels of formal education and income. Furthermore, the research demonstrates the role of influential institutions in regulating access to the ‘new music’ field. However, the last decades have witnessed a weakening of the role of established organisations and a gradual blurring of the field’s confines. Lachenmann’s adherence to an emphatic notion of art can thus be interpreted as a reaction to an ongoing transformation of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022