Speaker: Prof. Mak Su Yin (Department of Music)
| Date: | 30 March 2012 (Fri) |
| Time: | 4:00pm |
| Venue: | LT2, 7th Floor, Mong Man Wai Building, CUHK |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | That song is both a concrete musical entity and an abstract metaphor for subjectivity is the central paradox of musical lyricism. This talk explored its temporal implications by examining the aesthetic assumptions and characteristic discursive strategies of the lyric mode in romantic poetry and music, and argued that both were guided by a paradoxical ambition to efface time through linguistic means. In the case of music, “language” will be understood as the language of common-practice tonality. The discussion relied upon concepts drawn from both traditional poetics and modern literary theory. Several instances of syntactical and temporal interplay in Schumann’s song cycle Dichterliebe, a work in which the lyrical sensibility is explicit, were then analysed. Finally, the philosophical and semiotic implications of lyricism’s engagement with temporality were considered with reference to Nietzsche’s conception of the Augenblick. |
For the powerpoint presentation of the talk, please click here