Book Review for Edinburgh University Press - Assis, Paulo de (2023)
Title of the book for review: Luciano Berio and the Philosophy of Language. An Investigation on the Music-Language ProblemFollowing the proclaimed crisis of tonal music’s “vocabulary” in the first half of the twentieth century, many composers – following Arnold Schoenberg’s innovations - felt the need to fund a new musical language. In pursuit of this project, however, the protagonists of the new serial music, gathered around the Darmstadt School, found themselves facing a number of contradictions (e.g. hyperstructuralism of serial music vs. lack of systemacity and organicity). This led to intense debate on the possibility of a new musical language and, more in general, on music’s status as a language. Luciano Berio's role in this debate is central. Starting from his experience as a musician and supported by a theoretical awareness of the contemporary philosophy of language, the composer wonders about the possibility of inventing a new language (and, in general, of using music as language) by elaborating answers that not only shed light on the nature of music itself, but also illuminate some aspects of verbal language. The reader will find in Berio’s reflections an unusual, yet rigorous, point of view on the music-language question.
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Keywords: MetamusicX:Transdisciplinary Encounters in and Beyond Music