Contemporary Music and the Public

Author(s): Michel Foucault, Pierre Boulez and John Rahn

Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Autumn - Winter, 1985), pp. 6-12
Published by: Perspectives of New Music
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 MUSIC
CONTEMPORARY
ANDTHE PUBLIC

MICHELFOUCAULT
ANDPIERREBOULEZ

FOUCAULT. It is oftensaid thatcontemporary musichas

MICHEL off
drifted that ithashad a that it hasattaineda degree
track; strangefate;
ofcomplexity whichmakesitinaccessible; thatitstechniques havesetiton paths
whichareleadingitfurther andfurther away.Buton thecontrary, whatisstrik-
ing to meisthe of
multiplicity links
and relationsbetween music andalltheother
elements ofculture.
Thereareseveral ways inwhich this
is apparent.On theone
hand,musichasbeenmuchmoresensitive to technological changes,much more
closelybound to them than most ofthe other arts the
(with exception perhaps
ofcinema).On theotherhand,theevolutionofthesemusicsafter Debussyor
Stravinsky remarkable
presents correlations
withtheevolution ofpainting. What
is more,thetheoreticalproblemswhichmusichasposedforitself, thewayin
whichithasreflectedon itslanguage,itsstructures,
anditsmaterial, dependon a

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 MusicandthePublic
Contemporary 7

questionwhichhas,I believe,spannedtheentiretwentieth century: theques-

tionof "form"whichwas thatof C&zanneor thecubists,whichwas thatof
Sch6nberg,whichwas also thatof the Russianformalists or the School of
Prague.
I do notbelievewe shouldask:withmusicat sucha distance, how canwe
itor
recapture repatriate it?But rather:
this
music which is so close,so consub-
withallourculture,howdoesithappenthatwe feelit,as itwere,pro-
stantial
jectedafarandplacedatan almostinsurmountabledistance?
PIERRE BOULEZ. Is thecontemporary music"circuit"so different fromthe
various"circuits"employedbysymphonicmusic,chambermusic,opera,
Baroquemusic,allcircuits so partitioned, so specialized thatit'spossibleto askif
therereallyis a generalculture? Acquaintance throughrecordings should,in
principle, bring down those walls whose economic is
necessityunderstandable,
butone notices,on thecontrary, thatrecordings reinforce specialization ofthe
public as well as the performers. In the veryorganization of concerts or other
productions, the forces which different types of music rely on more or less
excludea commonorganisation, evena polyvalence. Classicalorromantic reper-
toryimplies a standardized format tending toincludeexceptions to thisruleonly
iftheeconomy ofthewholeisnotdisturbed bythem.Baroquemusicnecessarily
not
implies only a limited group, but instruments in keepingwiththemusic
played, musicians who have a
acquired specialized knowledge ofinterpretation,
basedon studiesoftextsandtheoretical worksofthepast.Contemporary music
an
implies approachinvolving new instrumental new
techniques, notations, an
for
aptitude adapting to new performance situations.One could continue this
enumeration and thusshowthedifficulties to be surmounted in passingfrom
onedomainto another:difficulties oforganization, ofplacing oneself ina differ-
entcontext, notto mention thedifficulties ofadapting placesfor such orsucha
kindofperformance. Thus, there existsa to a
tendency form larger smaller or
societycorresponding to each of
category music,to establisha dangerously
closedcircuit this
among society,itsmusic,and itsperformers. Contemporary
musicdoes notescapethisdevelopment; evenifitsattendance figures arepro-
portionately weak, it does not escape the faults of musical in
society general:it
hasitsplaces,itsrendezvous, itsstars,itssnobberies, itsrivalries,itsexclusivities;
justlike the other society, it has its market its its
values, quotes, statistics. The
different circles ofmusic,iftheyarenot Dante's,nonethelessreveala prison
system inwhichmostfeelateasebutwhoseconstraints, on thecontrary, pain-
fullychafe others.
MICHEL FOUCAULT. One musttakeintoconsideration thefactthatfora
verylongtimemusichasbeentiedto socialritesandunifiedbythem:religious
music,chambermusic;in thenineteenthcentury, thelinkbetweenmusicand
theatrical inopera(notto mention
production orcultural
thepolitical meanings
whichthelatter
hadinGermany orinItaly)wasalsoan integrative
factor.

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8 ofNewMusic
Perspectives

I believethatone cannottalkof the"culturalisolation"of contemporary

musicwithoutsoon correcting whatone saysofitbythinking aboutothercir-
cuitsofmusic.
Withrock,forexample, onehasa completely inversephenomenon. Notonly
is rockmusic(muchmorethanjazz used to be) an integral partof thelifeof
manypeople,butitis a cultural initiator:to likerock,to likea certain kindof
rockrather thananother,isalsoa wayoflife,a mannerofreacting; itisa whole
setoftastesandattitudes.
Rockoffers thepossibility
ofa relation whichis intense, strong, alive,"dra-
matic"(inthatrockpresents itself
as a spectacle,thatlisteningto itis an event
andthatitproducesitself on stage),witha musicthatisitself impoverished, but
through whichthelistener
affirms himself; andwiththeothermusic,one hasa
frail,faraway, hothouse,problematical relationwithan eruditemusicfrom
whichthecultivated publicfeelsexcluded.
One cannotspeakof a singlerelation of contemporary cultureto musicin
general, butofa tolerance,
moreorlessbenevolent, withrespect to a plurality
of
musics.Eachisgranted the"right"to existence, andthisright isperceived asan
equality ofworth.Eachisworthas muchas thegroupwhichpractices itorrec-
ognizesit.
PIERRE BOULEZ. Willtalkingabout musicsin thepluraland flaunting an
eclectic
ecumenicism solvetheproblem? It seems,on thecontrary, thatthiswill
merely conjureitaway-asdo certain devoteesofanadvancedliberal society.All
thosemusicsaregood,allthosemusicsarenice.Ah! Pluralism! There'snothing
likeitforcuringincomprehension. Love, eachone ofyou in yourcomer,and
eachwilllovetheothers.Be liberal,be generous towardthetastesofothers, and
they willbe to is
generous yours.Everythinggood,nothing bad; is therearen't
anyvalues,buteveryone ishappy.Thisdiscourse, as liberatingas itmaywishto
on thecontrary,
be, reinforces, theghettos, comforts one'sclearconscience for
ina
being ghetto,especially iffromtime to timeone tours theghettos of others.
The economy isthereto remind us,incasewegetlostinthisblandutopia:there
aremusicswhichbringin moneyand existforcommercial profit;thereare
musicsthatcostsomething, whoseveryconcepthasnothing to do withprofit.
No liberalismwillerasethisdistinction.
MICHEL FOUCAULT. I havetheimpression thatmanyoftheelements that
aresupposedto provideaccessto musicactuallyimpoverish our relationship
withit.Thereisa quantitative
mechanism workinghere.A certain rarityofrela-
tionto musiccouldpreserve an abilityto choosewhatone hears,and thusa
inlistening.
flexibility Butthemorefrequent thisrelation
is (radio,records,
cas-
the
settes), more familiarities
it habits
creates; crystallize;themostfrequent
becomesthemostacceptable, andsoontheonlythingperceivable. It producesa
"tracing,"as theneurologists
say.

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 Music
Contemporary andthePublic 9

Clearly, thelawsofthemarketplace willreadily applyto thissimplemecha-

nism.Whatis putat thedisposition ofthepubliciswhatthepublichears.And
whatthepublicfinds itselfactually listening to,becauseit'soffered up,reinforces
a certain taste,underlines the limits of a well-defined listening capacity, defines
moreand moreexclusively a schemaforlistening. Musichad bettersatisfy this
expectation, etc. So commercial productions, critics,
concerts, everything that
increases thecontactof thepublicwithmusic,risksmakingperception of the
newmoredifficult.
Ofcoursetheprocessisnotunequivocal. Certainly increasing familiarity with
musicalsoenlarges thelistening and
capacity gives access to possible differentia-
tions,butthisphenomenon risks beingonlymarginal; itmustinanycaseremain
secondary to themainimpactof experience, ifthereis no realeffort to derail
familiarities.
It goeswithoutsaying thatI amnotinfavor ofa rarefaction oftherelation to
music,butitmustbe understood thattheeverydayness ofthisrelation, withall
theeconomicstakesthatareridingon it, can havethisparadoxical effect of
rigidifying tradition.It isnot a matter ofmaking access to music more rare, of
but
its
making frequent appearances less devoted to habits and familiarities.
PIERREBOULEZ. Weoughtto notethatnotonlyistherea focuson thepast,
butevenon thepastinthepast,as faras theperformer isconcerned. Andthisis
ofcoursehowoneattains ecstasy while listening to theinterpretationa certain
of
workbya performer
classical whodisappeared decadesago;butecstasy willreach
orgasmic heights when one can refer to a of
performance July 20 1947 orof30
December1938. One seesa pseudo-culture of documentation takingshape,
basedon theexquisite hourandfugitive moment, whichreminds us atonceof
thefragility and ofthedurability oftheperformer becomeimmortal, rivalling
now theimmortality of themasterpiece. All themysteries of theShroudof
Turin,allthepowersofmodernmagic,whatmorecouldyouwantasanalibifor
reproduction as opposedto realproduction? Modernity itselfis thistechnical
we
superiority possess over former eras in being able to recreate the event.Ah! If
we onlyhad thefirst performance of the Ninth,even-especially-with all its
or if
flaws, only we could make Mozart's own delicious difference between the
Prague and Vienna versions of Don Giovanni.... This historicising carapace suf-
focatesthosewho put iton, compresses themin an asphyxiating rigidity;the
air
mephitic they breathe constantly enfeebles their organism in relation to con-
temporary adventure. I imagineFideliogladto restin hisdungeon,or againI
thinkofPlato'scave:a civilization ofshadowandofshades.
MICHEL FOUCAULT. Certainly to musicbecomesmoredifficult
listening as
itscomposition frees
itself
fromanykindofschemas, signals, cuesfor
perceivable
a repetitive
structure.
In classical
music,thereisa certain fromthecomposition
transparency to the

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10 ofNewMusic
Perspectives

hearing.And evenifmanycompositionalfeatures
in BachorBeethovenaren't
by
recognizable most there
listeners, are other
always features,
importantones,
whichareaccessible
to them.Butcontemporary music,bytryingto makeeach
ofitselementsa uniqueevent,makesanygraspor recognitionbythelistener
difficult.
PIERREBOULEZ. Is therereally onlylackofattention, indifference on thepart
ofthelistener towardcontemporary music?Mightnotthecomplaints so often
articulatedbe dueto laziness, to inertia,to thepleasant sensation ofremaining in
knownterritory? Bergwrote,already halfacentury ago,a textentitled "Whyis
Sch6nberg's musichardto understand?" The difficulties he described thenare
nearly thesameasthosewe hearofnow.Wouldtheyalwayshavebeenthesame?
Probably, allnovelty bruises thesensibilities ofthoseunaccustomed to it.Butit
is believable
thatnowadaysthecommunication ofa workto a publicpresents
someveryspecific difficulties.
In classicalandromantic music,whichconstitutes
theprincipal resourceof thefamiliar repertory, thereareschemaswhichone
obeys,whichone canfollowindependently oftheworkitself, or ratherwhich
theworkmustnecessarily exhibit. The movements ofasymphony aredefined in
theirformand in theircharacter, evenin theirrhythmic life;theyaredistinct
fromone another,mostofthetimeactually separated bya pause,sometimes
tiedbya transition thatcanbe spotted.Thevocabulary itselfis basedon "classi-
fied"chords,well-named: you don't have to analyze them to knowwhatthey
areandwhatfunction they have. They have the and
efficacy security ofsignals;
they recurfrom one to
piece another, alwaysassuming the same appearance and
thesamefunctions. Progressively, thesereassuring elements havedisappeared
from"serious"music.Evolutionhasgoneinthedirection ofanevermoreradi-
cal renewal,as muchin theformofworksas in theirlanguage.Musicalworks
havetendedto becomeuniqueevents,whichdo haveantecedents, butarenot
reducibleto anyguiding schemaadmitted, a priori,byall; this creates,certainly,
a handicapforimmediate comprehension. The listener is askedto familiarize
himselfwith thecourseoftheworkandforthisto listentoita certain number of
times.Whenthecourseof theworkis familiar, comprehension of the work,
perception ofwhatitwantsto express, canfinda propitious terrain to bloomin.
Therearefewerand fewerchancesforthefirst encounter to igniteperception
and comprehension. Therecan be a spontaneous connection withit,through
theforceofthemessage, thequalityofthewriting, thebeautyofthesound,the
readabilityof thecues,butdeep understanding can onlycomefromrepeated
from
hearings, remaking the course of the this
work, repetition takingtheplace
ofan acceptedschemasuchas waspracticed previously.
Theschemas-ofvocabulary, ofform-whichhadbeenevacuated fromwhat
iscalledseriousmusic(sometimes calledlearnedmusic)havetakenrefuge incer-
tainpopularforms,in the objectsof musicalconsumption. There,one still
createsaccording to thegenres,theacceptedtypologies. Conservatism is not

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 Music
Contemporary andthePublic II

foundwhereit is expected:itis undeniablethata certainconser-

necessarily
vatismof formand languageis at thebase of all thecommercialproductions
adoptedwithgreatenthusiasm bygenerationswhowanttobe anything butcon-
servative.
It isa paradoxofourtimesthatplayedorsungprotest transmitsitself
bymeansofan eminently subornablevocabulary, whichdoes notfailto make
itself
known:commercial successevacuates
protest.
MICHEL FOUCAULT. Andon thispointthereis perhapsa divergent evolu-
tionofmusicand painting in thetwentieth century. Painting, since CUzanne,
hastendedto makeitself transparent to theveryactofpainting: theactis made
visible,
insistent,definitively present in thepicture, whether itbe bytheuse of
elementary or
signs, by tracesof itsown dynamic. Contemporary musicon the
contrary offersto itshearing only the outer surface of itscomposition.
Hence thereis something difficultandimperious in listening to thismusic.
Hence thefactthateachhearingpresents itselfas an eventwhichthelistener
attends,and whichhe mustaccept.Thereareno cueswhichpermithimto
expectitandrecognize it.He listens to ithappen.Thisisa verydifficult modeof
attention, one which is in contradiction to the familiarities woven byrepeated
hearing ofclassicalmusic.
The cultural insularity ofmusictodayis notsimply theconsequence ofdefi-
cientpedagogy orpropagation. It wouldbe too facileto groanovertheconser-
vatoriesorcomplain abouttherecordcompanies. Thingsaremoreserious.Con-
temporary music owes this unique situation to itsverycomposition.In this
sense,it is willed.It is not a musicthattriesto be familiar; it is fashioned to
its
preserve cutting edge. One mayrepeat it,but itdoes not repeat itself.
In this
sense,onecannotcomebackto itasto anobject.Italwayspopsup on frontiers.
PIERRE BOULEZ. Sinceitwantsto be insucha perpetual situation ofdiscov-
ery-new domains of sensibility, experimentation with new material-is con-
temporary music condemned to remain a Kamchatka (Baudelaire, Sainte-Beuve,
remember?) reservedfortheintrepidcuriosity of infrequent explorers? It is
remarkable thatthemostreticent listeners shouldbe thosewho haveacquired
theirmusicalcultureexclusively in thestoresofthepast,indeedofa particular
past;and the most open-only because theyarethemostignorant?-are thelis-
tenerswitha sustained interestinothermeansofexpression, the
especially plas-
ticarts.The "foreigners" themostreceptive? A dangerous connection which
wouldtendto provethatcurrent musicwoulddetachitself fromthe "true"
musicalculturein orderto belongto a domainbothvasterand morevague,
whereamateurism would preponderate, in critical judgmentas in creation.
Don't callthat"music"--then we arewilling toleaveyouyourplaything; thatis
in thejurisdiction ofa different appreciation, havingnothingto do withthe
appreciation wereserve fortruemusic,themusicofthemasters. Whenthisargu-
menthasbeenmade,evenin itsarrogant it
naivetd, approaches an irrefutable
truth.Judgment andtasteareprisoners ofcategories, ofpre-established schemas

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12 ofNewMusic
Perspectives

whicharereferred to at all costs.Not, as theywouldhaveus believe,thatthe

distinction isbetweenan aristocracy ofsentiments, a nobilityofexpression, and
a chancycraftbasedon experimentation: thoughtversustools.It is, rather, a
matter ofa listening thatcouldnotbe modulatedoradaptedto different waysof
inventing music.I certainly am notgoingto preachin favorofan ecumenicism
ofmusics, whichseemsto menothing buta supermarket aesthetic, a demagogy
thatdarenotspeakitsnameanddecksitself withgood intentions thebetterto
camouflage thewretchedness ofitscompromise. Moreover,I do notrejectthe
demandsofqualityin thesoundas wellas in thecomposition: aggression and
provocation, brico/ageand bluff arebutinsignificant and harmless palliatives. I
am fully aware-thanks to manyexperiences, whichcouldnothavebeenmore
direct-that beyonda certain complexity perception findsitselfdisoriented in a
hopelessly entangled chaos,thatitgetsboredand hangsup. Thisamountsto
sayingthatI cankeepmycritical reactions andthatmyadherence isnotautomat-
derived
ically from the fact of "contemporaneity" itself.
Certainmodulations of
hearing arealready occurring, rather badlyas a matter offact,beyondparticular
historical limits.One doesn'tlistento Baroquemusic-especially lesserworks-
as one listensto Wagneror Strauss;one doesn'tlistento thepolyphony ofthe
ArsNova as one listensto DebussyorRavel.Butin thislattercase,howmany
listenersarereadytovarytheir"mode ofbeing,"musically speaking? Andyetin
orderformusicalculture, allmusicalculture, to be assimilable,thereneedonly
be thisadaptationto criteria, and to conventions, whichinvention complies
withaccording to thehistorical momentitoccupies.Thisexpansive respiration
oftheagesisat theoppositeextreme fromtheasthmatic wheezings thefanatics
makeus hearfromspectral reflections ofthepastina tarnished mirror. A culture
forges, sustains, and transmits itselfin an adventure with a double face: some-
timesbrutality, struggle, turmoil; sometimes meditation, nonviolence, silence.
Whatever formtheadventure maytake-themostsurprising is not alwaysthe
noisiest, but the noisiestis not irremediably the most superficial-it is uselessto
ignoreit, and stillmore useless to sequestrate it. One mightgo so far as to say
thereareprobablyuncomfortable periods when the coincidence of invention
and convention is moredifficult, whensomeaspectof invention seemsabso-
to
lutely go beyond what we can tolerateor "reasonably" and
absorb; thatthere
areotherperiodswhenthingsrelapseto a moreimmediately accessible order.
The relations among all these phenomena-individual and collective-are so
that
complex applying rigorous or
parallelismsgroupings to them is impossible.
One wouldrather be temptedto say:gentlemen, placeyourbets,and forthe
rest,trustin theairdu temps. But,please,play!Play!Otherwise, whatinfinite
secretions ofboredom!

-translated
byJohnRahn

FromCNAC magazine no. 15 (May-June1983),10-12,bykindpermission

of
theCentrenational
d'artetde cultureGeorgesPompidou.

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