Thesis
French
ID: <
10670/1.j8eh5w>
Abstract
The elements of a reflection about the notion of expression in music will be presented in this thesis. The term "expression" belongs to the current vocabulary of musical aesthetics. Yet the meaning of this term is frequently ambiguous. According to the context and the aesthetics approach, the notion of expression can be the object of different concepts. Issues concerning expressions have frequently been approached in the light of semantic and linguistic conceptions. Historical established bounds between music and language have favored this type of approach. But the notion has also been treated apart from linguistic references. In this respect, some approaches have attempted to focus on immanent proprieties of music. In the sociocritical perspective, authors like Adorno considered this category with respect to the social content of musical techniques and means. Taking into account the diversity of the uses of expression, it is the aim of this thesis to throw light on the aesthetic issues at stake behind the different stances. With respect to the importance still granted today to semantics conceptions, we first examine to what extent music can resemble a communicational language. We also will explore what is different. Specificities of musical significations (if one can speak of “signification”) also are questioned, as well as certain implications with respect to historic, social and ideological mediation underlying the musical discourse. Secondly, we will review the way modernist approaches attempted to renew and rethink expression, sometimes outside the communication models. We also seek to highlight these approaches with respect to certain psychoanalytic, social and political implications.