"Il tema interagisce con il linguaggio": alcuni esempi dell’influenza di Wittgenstein sulla musica contemporanea

Abstract

Although he did not devote any work to a specific reflection on music, Wittgenstein's writings abound with references to musical understanding, melodic expressiveness and the gesturality proper to the art of sound. There are also numerous comments on composers, both loved and disliked, which reveal a taste linked to the classical and romantic tradition. If these observations trace a line of thought from philosophy to music, it is also true that numerous contemporary composers have paid particular attention to Wittgenstein's work, thus indicating a reverse path, from music to philosophy. In my paper, I will examine some contemporary compositions openly inspired by Wittgenstein's thought (Cornelius Cardew, Treatise, 1963-68; Michael Torke, Bright Blue Music, 1985; Steve Reich, Proverb, 1995) and show how the two lines of development (philosophy → music; music → philosophy) complement each other and are capable of illuminating both fields. The influence in the field of music will therefore not only constitute an interesting chapter in the reception of Wittgenstein's thought by contemporary culture, but will also entail a deepening of certain aspects of the philosopher's thought through a practice of comparison between different forms of expression - a practice, moreover, outlined by Wittgenstein himself in his Philosophical Investigations.