Verified Document

Role Of Art Term Paper

Jerrold Levinson, John Dewey, and Theodor Adorno all have differing views about the role that music should play in society or in making a good life. Levinson explains his view on the matter by trying to seek a comprehensive definition of music itself rather than what a piece of music is and how humans psychologically recognize the features of music. He then goes on to provide several possible definitions and finds faults with each one until he arrives at his conclusion. This conclusion is that music can be defined as an organization of sounds produced by humans for the purpose of providing heartening experiences to those who either listen, dance, or perform to it. The sounds are considered to be the basic components of all forms of music, except for Muzak. Levinson's conclusive definition of music shares one striking similarity with Dewey's conclusion on the same matter. Dewey explains that music is often capable of providing individuals with memorable experiences, which are characterized as containing single important qualities that distinguish them from normal everyday experiences in people's lives. Thus both Dewey and Levinson indicate that music's role in the making of a good life is that it often provides listeners with enriching experiences. The difference between the two viewpoints is that Levinson focuses on what the definition of music is whereas Dewey discusses about how music is capable of providing memorable and important experiences...

His view focuses mainly upon music's impact upon a society and tries to distinguish between two different types of music, namely one that is considered to be sophisticated and classical and another that is known to be ignoble and popular. He believes that popular music possesses no redeeming qualities for a society because its only purpose is to provide its listeners with cheap and shallow entertainment and to distract them from pondering about their entrapment within capitalist society. He also states that popular music has become a commodity just like all other goods, which is to be advertised about and sold to consumers within a capitalist society. Popular music can never thus be used as a format for creating anti-capitalist sentiments among the people according to him.
Thus Adorno's view on the role of music in society is that it should be characterized as an intellectual form of art that challenges its listeners to ponder about their lives and about the type of society they live in. It should be capable of providing a platform towards launching a political movement towards overthrowing capitalist society. Adorno's viewpoint has increasingly come under criticism by other leading theoreticians, who state that Adorno's characterization of popular music is severely lacking in substance. For example, he never…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Pacific Island and Aboriginal Art 1980
Words: 1599 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Art, ritual, and religion are inseparable in the aboriginal societies of Oceania. Aboriginal myths of creation and the Dreamtime are rendered in art and permeate the various types of art found throughout indigenous Australia from bark and rock paintings to the modern renditions on canvas. Similarly, the art of Pacific Islands before 1980 is inseparable from their cultural contexts. The concept of art is different in the Pacific Islands than

Art in South America and
Words: 1645 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

This work of art depicts a struggle between two ancestors, the Bungalung man and a Tingari man, the latter of whom was trespassing on sacred land (No author). The copious quantity of dots, particularly the white ones, evinces the full force of the elements invoked by the Bungalung Man to beat his opponent into submission. The power of the Bungalung man is evinced by the fact that he leaves

Art Interview With an Artist Describe Your
Words: 1286 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Art Interview with an Artist Describe your artwork and creation processes, how you became an artist, and what training you had. My name is Evan Z. I began working on art in high school, back in the 1990s. I used to love to draw and I would copy the cartoon drawings of Bill Watterson, who was my favorite artist back then -- the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, for anyone who does not

Art Can Come in Many Shapes, Sizes,
Words: 1092 Length: 3 Document Type: Creative Writing

Art can come in many shapes, sizes, and mediums, yet one thing that all art has in common is its ability to connect to individuals and enable them to experience catharsis, that is illicit an emotional response. Some of the most awe-inspiring works of art are architectural such as the Lincoln Memorial, which bookmarks the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Lincoln Memorial is impressive and its sheer magnitude and size

Art Along With Georges Braque, Fernand Leger
Words: 942 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Art Along with Georges Braque, Fernand Leger and Pablo Picasso were firmly at the forefront of the cubist movement in modern art. Cubism sprouted from Picasso's experimentations with collage, along with Braque, but later morphed into an interpretive and expressive style of painting that heralded many related movements in abstract modern art including futurism. As Fitz puts it, Picasso used the cubist style to express the things he could not see,

Art Therapy a Form of Psychotherapy
Words: 2045 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Art Therapy a form of psychotherapy? Since the middle of the twentieth century, artistic expression and creation have been seen as valuable assets in the context of therapy and rehabilitation. The impact that art therapy has had on the field of psychology is undeniable, and its influence has contributed to the development of various diagnostic tools and interventions used in psychotherapy. The practice of art therapy involves the process of image

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now