I had an interesting conversation last week with a friend of mine who was explaining his research into the spread of Marxism and Communism in the west, penetrating the very fabric of the western society.
This got me thinking. If this is the case, and he had compelling evidence why it is, then is the influence of Marxism felt in the world of music, particularly in the period since the advent of the first communist state a century ago, and more specifically in the last couple of decades, since this seems to be the period of the most expansion and domination by Marxist or Communist ideology.
I thought I would start by trying to visualize what the communist influence in music and music theory would actually manifest itself as so as to try and gather what reach it has had in the west. So, looking at the ideology, as it really isn’t a philosophy as such, because it has no real metaphysics, epistemology or any real depth in politics or ethics, I thought I would consider how it may appear and then reflect on whether it actually has made its influence felt in the world of music.
Firstly, the ideal communist state has everyone as equal, no one has precedence over another and all have the same power and influence in the state. This would be represented by:
1) Every note having the same influence in music, no tonic or dominant, cadence or any discernible favouritism towards any particular notes or keys. Sounds like atonalism.
2) Every note must have an equal amount of time to be heard in any music, to reflect the status of individuals in the communist state, with a strict avoidance of repeating certain notes before all other notes have been heard. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
In 1923, Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) developed his own, better-known version of 12-tone technique, which became associated with the Second Viennese School of composers, who were the primary users of the technique in the first decades of its existence. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are sounded as often as one another in a piece of music while preventing the emphasis of any one note through the use of tone rows, orderings of the 12 pitch classes. All 12 notes are thus given more or less equal importance, and the music avoids being in a key.
NB: It is interesting that the 12 notes are called pitch ‘classes’ as class is the focal point of Marxism.
Another idea came to mind, that the communist ideology abhors history, instead it purges itself of any reference to previous culture and evidence of an alternative civilisation. This would involve a simplification of any complex matter in society reduced down to the basics, one that prevents or limits the exposure that each individual in the state would have to outside influences that may engender real philosophical questions and inquiries by each individual. In musical terms, this could be represented by a simplification of music down to just the bare bones, three or four chords, a repetitive idea constantly restated with no real exploration of harmonic variation. Virtuosity would be limited or ruled out completely as it highlights the fact that certain individuals are more capable than others.
The purging, a necessary condition that occurs in any blossoming communist state, would remove individuals that were a hindrance or in opposition to the goals set forward and would find themselves either cancelled or removed from it entirely. Alongside this would be a promotion of lesser known individuals that were overlooked because of their mediocrity and instead they would find themselves in the limelight. Here is a quote from a classical music magazine:
‘What we need regarding the music of classical composers and all composers is balance; balance in the concert hall and balance on the radio. An equal amount of music played and heard from all races and genders is way overdue. We need equality in all matters because without equality, none of us can ever say we are of equal value.’
This brings us onto the latest iteration of communism, cultural marxism or race marxism. It is basically the substitution of race for class in the original ideology. Everything else applies, but with the focus on any perceived section of society that is marginalized. How would this appear in music?
Firstly, the ‘reification’ of composers and musicians, elevating them to positions of greatness in society based upon their merits and work, would be frowned upon and a movement to reverse that and belittle such musicians would become apparent.
Secondly, Marxist thought in the area of music includes the idea that ‘music can be a site of resistance and subversion’, and as such should be used to undermine and dismantle the previous heights that music had reached under the guise of progress or equality and also, on a broader level, it should have the desired effect on society that would undermine any ideas that are opposite to the communist ones, dismantling and destroying before the replacement can occur in a fully fledged form.
Now, I don’t know about you, but it does seem to me that there are quite a few correlations to be made between the state of music and the state itself. Perhaps music is an indicator as to where we are in terms of the form of society and if so, what we need to do to alter the direction we are heading in becomes clearer.
Thanks for reading.
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