Müzik Sosyolojisi [Sosyomüzikoloji] Evreninde Tarihsel Perspektifler ve Georg Simmel
Bu makalenin amacı çağının gizemli Alman sosyoloğu Georg Simmel’in (1858-1918) müzik üzerine yaratmış olduğu sosyolojik düşünceye, kavramsal alanlara toplumsal düzlemde ve etkileşimde işaret etmek, müzik sosyolojisinin toplumsal süreçlerinin toplumsal yapıyı ve değişmeyi anlamakta müziksel söylem ile nasıl okunabileceğinin örneklerini sunmaktır. Kendi içinde üretildiği koşulların bir ürünü olan müzik, ona katkı sağlayan yardımcı bilimlerle birlikte müzikolojiye ışık tutar. Müzik üzerine düşünürken ya da onu kompozisyon açısından analiz ederken aynı zamanda müziğin sosyal bir dili olduğu gerçeği gözlerden kaçırılmamalıdır. Bu dille birlikte müzik kendi sahnesinde seyirci değil, aktör olarak yer alır. Örneğin yazımızda ele aldığımız gibi ideolojik tartışmalar sadece siyasetin gündeminde değildir. Müzikte sesler arasındaki ilişkilerde de karşımıza çıkar. Uzmanlaşmış müzikolojik yaklaşımlar teknik anlamın ötesinde sosyokültürel eğilim taşır. Bir bilim dalı olarak sosyomüzikoloji nitelemesiyle müzikteki geleneksel kalıp ve kurumları ses üzerinde tartışmaya açan, özgürlüğü en kutsal değer sayma gayesiyle yeninin söylemini sosyoloji perspektifiyle açıklamayı amaçlayan bu çalışmada, ses ile söz arasındaki kuramsal ilişki Simmel’in özelinde Weber, Lukács, Adorno gibi sosyolog ve düşünürlerin görüşleriyle karşılaştırılmalı olarak incelenecektir.
Historical Perspectives in the Universe of Music Sociology [Sociomusicology] and Georg Simmel
The main purpose of this article is to underline the conceptual fields and interaction within the sociological thought universe regarding music created by Georg Simmel (1858–1918), a mysterious German sociologist, and to provide examples as to how the social processes of music sociology, together with musical discourse, can help us understand change in social structures. Music is a product of the circumstances out of which it is born, and it sheds light on musicology with auxiliary disciplines that contribute to it. Reflections on music or analysis of musical composition must always note the fact that music has a social language. Hence, music becomes an actor on its stage, not a mere spectator. For instance, ideological discussions in our text are not only a matter of political agenda but are also observed in the relationship between sounds in music. Approaches that specialize only in musicology are both technical and offer sociocultural trends. Defining sociomusicology as a scientific discipline, this paper discusses traditional musical patterns and institutions in terms of sound and aims to expound the discourse of new musical patterns from a sociological perspective and with a view to considering freedom as the most sacred of all values. The paper discusses the institutional relationship between sound and word, specifically in Simmel, and also along with Weber, Lukács, Adorno, and other major thinkers who have contributed to other fields of philosophy and sociology.
Sociology of music mediates cultural activities related to music and society and interlaces the two. Combining the disciplines of musicology and sociology, sociology of music analyzes the economic, cultural, and social dimensions of music and their relationship with society through sociological forms of imagery in three stages; namely history, anthropology, and criticism. This discipline focuses on social behavior and interaction. As a commodity with an exchange value, music influences musical experiences in societies during industrialization, thereby overlapping the field of sociology. Therefore, any alternative that could be proposed in place of “sociology of music” is open to discussion but it would still be a concept of sociomusicology. This concept resembles both the relationship between sound and word as a declaration of an idea and the defense of an ideal and the relationship between individual and society. It is almost like a situation of inseparable togetherness. By definition, sociomusicology is both the academic sub-branch of sociology that deals with music and of musicology, which studies social aspects of musical behavior and the role of music in society. The discipline refers to the analysis of music as a social phenomenon or to social aspects of music. Social functions and references of music stem from social conditioning and play a significant role in music’s contribution to cultural change. Music affects and reflects many aspects of society, including politics, religion, current affairs, and popular culture. Consequently, the sociology of music (sociomusicology) is positioned between sociology and musicology and is a discipline that focuses on the relationship between music and the people that create, perform, and use music. Sociomusicology and approaches to music deal with the functions of codes in musical expression, almost all forms of which are determined by communication within social life. The communication element in music enables an agreement between society and sound, the signing of a semantic music contract, and the laying of groundwork for strategic possibilities and partnerships. Sociomusicology as a concept is expected to help us to understand the aesthetic and artistic qualities of special music styles born out of the cultural, political, and social structures of an era, and to define their social preconditions and importance. Sociology, while nurturing and enriching the nature of music, inevitably tends to subordinate it. Meanwhile, sociology of music acts as a counterweight to sociology, and tries to find a place within this overarching discipline. However, if sociology is constantly looking to expand its authority, musical meaning also needs to readjust itself. I propose sociomusicology in an effort to update and use a sociological concept with a focus on musicology, which was previously used as an alternative to the term ethnomusicology. With a more musical language and from a historical and theoretical perspective, sociomusicology can propose its acknowledgment and participation in the illuminated field with a redefined and independent clarifying terminology, thanks to a social structure made up of collective representations, resulting from science and intelligence. Music is not a field of art that can only be explained by the result of correlations between an increasing number of subjects, including composer and performer, which emerge during social change, and the works of art they create. Music also requires knowledge and interpretation of social symbols and forms. These symbols and meanings are born out of social definitions. Composers can manifest themselves and their inner world as a way of dealing with cultural objects. During processes of autonomy in sociology and fields of art, sociology of music carries out a scientific study of the relationship between music and society, especially with conceptual analyses or theoretical foundations. It also earns a social footing to music with the contribution of to social trends. Music therefore makes substantial symbolic gains, creates an effect of togetherness, and filters thoughts and acts on the basis of sociological inquiries through structuring (aesthetic, logical, and musical). It also blends the product, medium, and expectation with sounds. Considering these factors that competently and continually sustain the vibrancy of cultural and artistic production, we find that musical space is influenced by social determinations. An artist is compelled to be a creator in order to become the subject of their own creation under the hegemony of collective consciousness. The artist may conflict with the world of values and psychological conclusions, which may be a point of discussion. Sociological components of music do not only explain the ways in which sounds, tessituras, notations, and keys are created but also explains ideas borne out of cultural experiences in this field, emotions and their relationship with the language of music, and various themes, behaviors and styles used during rehearsal and performance and how they are conceptualized for cognitive acts. Meanings find validity in context. Needless to say, cultural meanings, as well as the comprehension of cultural accumulation, like tones of a major scale and its related minor scale, are diffused to related society and can be evaluated by people of a musical background with multidisciplinary perspectives who are accustomed to reflecting on music. Georg Simmel makes a distinction among his contemporaries and scientists after him with his intellectual interests and immeasurable contribution to sociology. He is one of the most important founders of sociology; he enabled its emergence as a standalone discipline in the early 20th century. He made a name for himself in social sciences literature as the “founder” of modern sociology. David Frisby argues that Simmel described and reconstructed the theory of modernity and considers him the first sociologist of modernity. His fields of study include, but are not limited to, conflict in modern culture, individuality and culture, urbanization, alienation due to modernization and metropolitan life, and the problems of social reciprocation. Simmel studies social classes and movements in modern industrial societies from a different perspective, evaluating cultural foundations from various view points within a modern capitalist economic system. Simmel holds an exclusive position in German and European sociology. He constructed a sociological perspective on philosophy with his own methods, highlighting metaphysical ways of thinking through the importance of discussing the social content of music as it relates to sociological references. He offers a simple (theory-based) classification on the role music plays in social life, elucidation, and styles of music. He also emphasizes that in order to correctly evaluate art’s social context, one must understand the technical aspects of the musical medium and be aware of the social processes surrounding it. Simmel’s examples demonstrate the importance of sociological investigation into how social actors acquire musical qualities and how they earn a special definition in social terms. This special definition is also related to the varieties of social arrangements that influence social systems and therefore might influence musical forms of expression. Simmel reflected on the cultural meaning of music and considered it a basis of speech. Speech, just like music, exists through interaction, and Simmel regards it as a manifesto of social relations. This is because types of interaction or social forms exist on subjective terms. Simmel’s significance in the sociology of music stems from his initiative to analyze the meaning of musical interactions through a sociology that focuses on emotions as opposed to the tradition of classical sociology. He describes music within a life-form dualism and a form on its own, a criterion that affects and defines social life. Interaction in Simmel’s epistemological and methodological foundations can be defined as mutual effects of different units which reappear as a methodological tool for Simmel in other theoretical subjects he deals with. This paper explains the historical perspectives in the sociology of music [sociomusicology], and compares ideas on the sociology of music by other sociologists and scholars, with a focus on Georg Simmel.
