Analysis of the Music of Prestij Meselesi in the Context of Adorno’s Critical Sociology of Music
İbrahim ÖksüzIn his article titled “Introduction to the Sociology of Music,” Theodor W. Adorno discusses critical music sociology, which involves gathering information about the social structures that leave an imprint on music and what is generally referred to as the music life. In the age of modern consciousness and unconscious industries, the main focus of music sociology is on the forces of production and the relations of production. Another aspect of production relations is the mindset and tastes of the listeners. Adorno makes a distinction between ‘light’ and ‘serious’ music in his sociology of music. Serious music is that which aligns with the essence of art and contributes to the individual and social consciousness of its listeners. Light music, on the other hand, considers the demands of the capitalist social structure and conceals existing economic relations and class inequalities. As a product of the Culture Industry, it is designed in the form of mass-produced music for mass consumption. This study analyzes the function of the light music Adorno mentioned in mainstream cinema and the visual and auditory codes it employs, using the 2023 film Prestij Meselesi as a case study. The music used in Prestij Meselesi and the reflections of the arabesque/fantasy music products, which form the subject of the film, in social life are examined from a critical music sociology perspective. The study includes the views of various Western and Eastern thinkers who have presented opinions on music and the sociology of music. The views of Plato, Aristotle, Ibn Khaldun, Al-Farabi, Al-Kindi, Georg Simmel, and Max Weber on music are presented. Adorno’s critical music sociology is elaborated upon, and the film Prestij Meselesi chosen as a sample for the study is analyzed.
Prestij Meselesi Film Müziklerinin Adorno’nun Eleştirel Müzik Sosyolojisi Bağlamında Analizi
İbrahim ÖksüzTheodor W. Adorno’nun “Müzik Sosyolojisine Giriş” başlıklı makalesinde ele aldığı eleştirel müzik sosyolojisi; müzikte ve en genel anlamıyla müzik yaşamı adı verilen şeyde iz bırakan toplumsal yapılar hakkında bilgi toplanmasıdır. Modern zamanın bilinç ve bilinçdışı endüstrileri çağında müzik sosyolojisinin esas inceleme hususları üretim güçleri ve üretim ilişkileridir. Üretim ilişkilerinin diğer veçheleri de dinleyicilerin zihniyeti ve beğenisidir. Adorno’nun müzik sosyolojisinde ‘hafif’ ve ‘ciddi’ müzik ayrımı vardır. Ciddi müzik, sanatın özüne uygun, dinleyicisinin bireysel ve toplumsal bilinçlenmesine katkıda bulunan müziktir. Hafif müzik ise kapitalist toplum yapısının taleplerini hesaba katarak, mevcut iktisadi ilişkileri ve sınıfsal eşitsizlikleri gizleyen bir yapıdadır. Kültür Endüstrisi ürünü olarak, kitle tüketimine yönelik seri üretim şeklinde tasarlanmış müzik türüdür. Bu çalışmada Adorno’nun sözünü ettiği hafif müziğin ana akım sinemada nasıl bir işlev gördüğü, hangi görsel ve işitsel kodları kullandığı örneklem olarak seçilen 2023 yapımı Prestij Meselesi filmi üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Prestij Meselesi’nde kullanılan müzikler ve filmin konusunu da oluşturan arabesk/fantezi müzik ürünlerinin toplumsal hayatta yansımalarının ne şekilde sunulduğu eleştirel müzik sosyolojisi perspektifinde incelenmiştir. Çalışmada müzik ve müzik sosyolojisi hakkında çeşitli görüşler ortaya atmış olan Batılı ve Doğulu düşünürlerin görüşlerine yer verilmiştir. Platon, Aristoteles, İbn-i Haldun, Farabi, Kindi, Georg Simmel ve Max Weber’in müzik hakkındaki görüşleri ortaya konulmuştur. Adorno’nun eleştirel müzik sosyolojisi detaylandırılarak araştırmada örneklem olarak seçilen Prestij Meselesi filmi analiz edilmiştir.
Music is a fundamental element that reflects the culture of a society. It has a significant impact on social behaviours, consumption patterns, and societal and historical habits. With this intrinsic structure, music creates both producers and consumers. The sociocultural development of individuals and groups in society, their economic status, class, religion, and moral attitudes are determinants of their music consumption. The importance of music within social structures emerged as a phenomenon long before the science of modern sociology was established, even in ancient times. Notably, figures like Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, and Ibn Khaldun offered various views on the importance of music. Modern sociology also places great emphasis on the subject of music, particularly those by Max Weber and Georg Simmel.
However, the most well-known name in the field is Adorno. Being both a musician and a sociologist, he made significant contributions to the sociology of music. According to Adorno, there are light and serious types of music in the contemporary art world. Light music is a type of music that calculates market expectations, is shaped by the Culture Industry, and is designed for consumption, ignoring social inequalities. Serious music, on the other hand, is aware of societal issues, allows for dialectical development in resolving these issues, and historically highlights artificially produced dissonance and social inequalities. Examining and analysing the economic infrastructure of music and the intersection points between social structures and music is one of the primary tasks of the sociology of music.
The era in which the example film is set, the late 1980s to early 1990s in Turkey, is known as the era of “polished images,” in which false images are created. During this period, false images are poured from above, intertwining with reality. Everything is given an image, and all these images are offered for consumption. The values, stars, and images created during this new era of Turgut Özal and his party, ANAP, are produced in integrated facilities. During this time, media outlets, particularly television, play the most critical role in maintaining the organized structure of interests between the state and capital.
The purpose of this study is to examine how Adorno’s concept of light music finds its place in society through cinema, particularly mainstream commercial cinema. The aim is to show what the use of music in films corresponds to in social life. In this regard, the selected example film, Prestij Meselesi (2023), will be analysed. This study employs a mixed methodology using critical discourse analysis and sociological analysis approaches. The critical discourse analysis approach developed by Wodak and Fairclough will be used. The sociological analysis approach allows for evaluating films within the framework of social sciences and sociology criteria. In this approach, films are examined as cultural and artistic products of society.
When analysing the chosen example film, Prestij Meselesi, it is found that the type of music addressed in the film is kitsch music. In the film, music is not an art form but a tool used by aspiring singers from low-income social classes to become famous. The arabesque music genre in the film symbolises the individual liberation of many singers aiming for fame. When looking at the photos of famous names on the wall in the film, it is seen that they are singers performing arabesque/fantasy or pop songs. It is possible to suggest that in the context of the film’s discourse, the ideal music genre is this type of music.
The critical sociology of music provides significant data in analysing the Prestij Meselesi film. The music industry is crucial for ensuring and reproducing the continuity of the consumption-oriented societal structure under capitalist market conditions. As Adorno stated, the advanced capitalist societal structure, which is based on inequalities, requires certain tools to maintain its continuity. The existing society’s continuation is ensured through the Culture Industry. The music industry is also a significant branch of the Culture Industry. The music industry is an important actor within the Culture Industry in the film Prestij Meselesi. The arabesque/fantasy music, which is the subject of the film and the sample of this study, is a classified part of the identities of some segments of society.
There are many phenomena in mainstream films like Prestij Meselesi that are suitable for analysis through various theories. In this research, the music in the sample film and the ways in which these music pieces are presented are examined within the context of Adorno’s critical music sociology. However, it is also possible to conduct feminist, psychoanalytic, historical, and semiotic analyses of the Prestij Meselesi film. More critical studies in mainstream cinema will contribute to the academic literature on cinema from different perspectives.
