How to do things with sounds - new music as political action

Abstract

New music is becoming increasingly engaged with political themes. Musicians are searching for ways to tackle, or comment on, capitalism, the climate crisis, institutional racism and police brutality, or gender inequality, to name some examples. However, the theorisation of how pieces affect politics remains underdeveloped. The discourse around such works often oscillates between complete dismissal on the one hand, and, on the other, uncritical acclaim. The first argues that politically engaged pieces are only ‘preaching to the choir’ or ‘on the nose’, while the second labels any engagement with politics as brave, radical and successful. This research is an intervention into both the practice of political composition and the theoretical frameworks used to analyse it.

Consisting of a portfolio of 9 pieces across multiple idioms and political contexts and a theoretical commentary, this practice-based PhD research explores the practical and theoretical challenges that face contemporary politically engaged new music, and the tactics and strategies employed to overcome them. It looks at how pieces attempt to provoke thought, evoke critique, and support change, all while considering how to evaluate both stakes and impacts. The pieces include works written for the concert hall, gallery, and stage, as well as pieces of music that were composed in activist settings for direct actions and acts of civil disobedience. This PhD examines how pieces in this field engage with theme, process, and their audience; what can be gained from considering the cross-relations between new music and activism; and what techniques, practices and tactics are, or can be, employed by practitioners, and to what ends. Resonating beyond the limits of new music, this research asks more broadly: in our time of extreme political and environmental upheaval, what role can art play in affecting change?

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Identifiers

ORCID for Valentina Cardo: orcid.org/0000-0002-1993-6058

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