Barthes' Musica Practica

Beethoven quickly becomes a focus of this essay. What was written here seems to evoke his 9th Symphony, created at the end of his life. Music which today can become invisible because of its pre-recorded familiarity, or revelatory in its creation of soul-stirring vibrations.

This doc is a bit cheezy but still a rather moving chronicle of the present day life of this 200 year old piece;

"That because Beethoven was freed {by deafness? maybe} to explore deep within his own nature, he was able to create works that would have a future." And, he most definitely did.

"The truth is perhaps that Beethoven's music has in it
something inaudible (something for which hearing is not the
exact locality), and this brings us to the second Beethoven."- pg.152

It may be important here to think of Barthes as a student of Phenomenology, having an interest in the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness. Through Beethoven he may be waxing on the complexity of experience that music, and all other art forms, can stir up.

 

The Death of the Author

"The Death of the Author" by (author) Roland Barthes may be one of the most influential works of theory to date, as well as a rather poetic musing on creators and their influences. Reflecting on this in the present day one can't help but see it implying how creative work can be effectively created via artificial intelligence. Here's a video explaining the basics of this essay...

 

 Here's one that's digs a bit deeper and shows how Barthes appropriated concepts from writings that preceded his by decades, in the spirit of the essay itsself...

 

The most provocative concept in this essay is contained in the final sentence "...the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author." suggesting the overlooked contribution of the reader in the functionality and meaning of an artwork (as understood in 19freaking67!!!). This awareness may be the key to effectively reaching an audience in the 21st century.