Musical power and the East-West international diplomacy (original) (raw)
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Musical power and the East-West international diplomacy [compte-rendu]
Anthropology Book Forum, 2017
Within this book, the editor establishes a dialogue between historians and musicologists bringing the idea that music is not only a musicological object but can even be a powerful tool for historians to understand and narrate the history of international relations in the 20th century. In this vein, contributors to the book were selected among both disciplines and according to their respective interests within the related sub-disciplines of history and musicology, but also for their attention to particular concepts and theories the editor decided to highlight – genres (musical), Cold War, manipulation, communication, and the state.
2014
How does music (its concepts, practices, and institutions) shape the exercise of diplomacy, the pursuit of power, and the conduct of international relations? Drawing together sixteen international scholars with backgrounds in musicology, ethnomusicology, political science, cultural history, French studies, German studies, and communication, this volume interweaves historical, theoretical, and practical perspectives. Considering such issues as what it means for political bodies to act "in concert," the question of music's "universality," the concept of free improvisation as it relates to twenty-first century political policy, the role of orchestras and traveling musicians in promoting cultural exchange, and the use of music as an agent of globalization and transnational encounter, the essays not only cross disciplinary boundaries but also geographical and musical ones.
2017
The birth of musicology as a theoretical discipline coincided with the professionalization of international academic bodies, most famously in natural and social sciences, but also in the humanities. While presenting an important example of transnational exchange, such trend in academic research was directly affected by intergovernmental relations. The intersections between the beginnings of musicology as a theoretical discipline and diplomatic relations will be the object of this round table. The birth of musicology was closely related also to the formation of modern nation states in an age of increased global exchanges, with important implications for the internationalization of the musical repertoire and the music industry. World fairs and exhibitions, and international political-commercial initiatives shaped these experiences. Musicologists felt compelled to compare and put order into a previously unknown multitude of musical practices. Without overlooking the power dynamics unde...
Soft power to the people: Music and Diplomacy in International History
2019
Reception history is the history of the meanings that have been imputed to historical events. This approach traces the different ways in which participants, observers, and historians and other retrospective interpreters have attempted to make sense of events, both as they unfolded, and over time since then, to make those events meaningful for the present in which they lived and live. (Marcuse, 2017) A work of art has a changing reception history, and thus history consists of multiple data, and by compiling them a patchwork of memory is being created. 1 The underlying assumption about music being a universal langua ge The assumption that music somehow is a universal language, based on feelings, brings up many ethical questions. I would like to discuss these and try to detect the aesthetical surface that this assumption is based upon. One assumption is that music belongs to some sort of a higher realm, and therefore is severed from ethics. If music somehow belongs to a higher sphere, then it is harder to argue that it can build bridges in the world. Because the world is concrete, and the higher sphere is abstract. So, I would like to discuss where its place is in the concrete world. Music is connected to the concrete world I believe, and therefore also connected to the different rules of moral behaviour, and ethical guidelines that exists within that community. If music can be used as diplomatic tool, it is maybe precisely because it belongs to the mundane, concrete world of differences, and therefore can create feelings of belonging across cultural divides. The language analogy is often used as an explanation or a tool to see music as an overreaching bridge in conversation. This bridge can then be used to conquer division between people, peoples, or nations. The assumption that music creates a sense of community, or togetherness, and in an even broader senses, an assumption that music can create peace, is provided by a strong belief in, or acceptance of a kind of universal truth. The field of music philosophy has searched into the question of music as a universal language, and a lot of work has been done within the field of popular musicology. At the BBC Proms in 2017, the conductor Daniel Barenboim reminded the audience of the power music had because it was beyond the national. "When I look at the world with so many isolation tendencies, I get very worried and I know I'm not alone," he spoke, Our profession, the music profession is the only profession that is not national. No German musician will tell you "I am a German musician, and I will only play Brahms, Schuman and Beethoven." (Proms, 2017) 1 Concert programs and advertisements, critical notices, musicological and other writings, editions, recordings, and even musical works by later composers, all contribute to what is known as reception history.
The birth of musicology as a theoretical discipline coincided with the professionalization of international academic bodies, most famously in natural and social sciences, but also in the humanities. While presenting an important example of transnational exchange, such trend in academic research was directly affected by intergovernmental relations. The intersections between the beginnings of musicology as a theoretical discipline and diplomatic relations will be the object of this round table.
2020
The article regards a new form of diplomacy that music performs in wide cooperation of two countries −The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Russian Federation with calling to contacts some other countries. This experience meets the needs of our era of globalization that demands embracing as many people as possible and giving a higher level of civilization. In 2019 music was pointed out in culture space and put on the agenda in cooperation of Great Britain and Russia. The initiative came from Great Britain and was welcomed by Russia. The program worked successfully in both countries. 235 events in 34 cities and towns of Russia− from the Baltic sea to the Pacific Ocean. The events engaged 1300 musicians. If we add listeners and visitors to the musical events, the community will be hundreds of thousands. The conclusion is "Music doesn't know any borders".