In Week One we are introduced to the reading of cultural artefacts. How differing approaches and schools of thought (Structuralism, Post Structuralism) try to unravel layers of myth and meaning using semiotics and context. I am obviously steeped in social and cultural references points but I have had no formal education in the world of critical theory, I’ve never heard of Barthes and Saussure, never mind read any of their work. So, it’ll be interesting!
We are also introduced to the role of the score in musical analysis. The limitations of a traditional, western style notated score, the attempts to interpret a musical piece using a graphical score (see Ligeti’s Artikulation below) and to a piece of French analysis software called the Acousmographe.
