Subject: " signs , music , society " ( vienna , 1999 / 03 / 12-14 )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - c a l l f o r p a p e r s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - " signs , music , society - a transdisciplinary colloquium " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - march 12-14 , 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - organized by the institute for socio - semiotic studies isss , vienna in co-operation with mediacult , vienna - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > keywords / fields involved semiotics of music , musical signification , music / communication , music in / and society ; semiotics , musicology , literary studies , media studies , theatre studies , cultural studies . . . - > invitation - abstracts : please send your suggestions until december 15 , 1998 , in the form of an abstract of 10 to max . 15 lines , indicating author 's name , title of the lecture , all relevant addresses ( office , home ) and technical coordinates ( fax , phone , e-mail , etc . ) . the lectures should not exceed 30 minutes + 15 minutes discussion . please direct your letter , fax or e-mail message to the isss . we will reply within 14 days . congress languages : english , german . - > institut fur sozio - semiotische studien isss jeff bernard waltergasse 5 / 1 / 12 , 1040 wien phone + fax : + 43 - 1-5045344 e-mail : < gloria . withalm @ uni-ak . ac . at > - > introductory remarks : the * colloquium * - announcing by this term that intensive discussion should be a major feature of the meeting - intends to convene scholars from semiotics , in general , and musical semiotics , in particular , and from many disciplines ( such as musicology , sociology , psychology , ethnology , philosophy , communication studies , media studies , cultural studies literary studies , comparative studies , and other related fields ) . our goal is to investigate theoretical and especially practical problems of musical signification in all types of music . the platform to enable inter - and transdisciplinary exchange and discussion shall be provided by semiotics , i . e . the theory of signs , while the aim to describe and to examine the social relevance of musical production , distribution , and consumption , as indicated by the formula " signs , music , society " , asks for focussing on fields like pragmatics , socio-semiotics , musical communication , context dependence , and the like . by this , it shall also be tried to transcend the somewhat isolated position of musicology , musical aesthetics , and musical theory within the humanities , i . e . , by showing that even the problems of the study of musical structures , musical forms and technical systems , musical signification and musical aesthetics are indispensably linked with socio-practical features and conditions : the meaning of music cannot be fully examined and understood without taking account of its syntacto-semantic as well as pragmatic dimensions . in such view , one cannot neglect either , that musical meaning is very often unfolded in composite signs systems ( word and music , dance , film , musical theatre , and other forms of art , as well as feasts , liturgies , rituals , etc . ) , and in different media ( discs , tapes , broadcasts , av - media , and now even " new " electronic media ) . the latter point stresses the problem of musical reproduction detached from its original performance in space and time , and how this influences , or changes , musical meaning . it stresses , moreover , the problems of disposal and ( cultural as well as economical ) hegemony . when the " sociality " of music and musical signification becomes of central interest , there also appears the question of their " historicity " , not so much in terms of traditional history of music , but as an indicator of ( particularly present-time ) cultural , social , sociological , medial , technological , etc . change , or , in other words : the diachronic viewpoint - hitherto not a main focus of musical semiotics - is as important , and in many respects even more important , for the study of musical meaning as the synchronic one . the examination of " codes " needs to be complemented by a thorough investigation of code changes including all presuppositions and consequences . in this framework , we want to invite scholars from all over the world to join us for discussing questions of musical semiosis , texts , representation , functions , impact , communication , experience and related topics from the viewpoint of their " sociality " as well as " historicity " . has there ever been a " day the music died " , as a famous lyric once claimed ? - > special information : one section with the particular topic " what is ' austrian ' music ? " will be organized by our partner , mediacult - international research institute for media , communication , and cultural development . - > publication : the results of the colloquium will be published either as a special issue of one of our journals ( _ s - european journal for semiotic studies _ or _ semiotische berichte _ ) or ( depending on the final size ) as a book in our series " s - addenda . semiotic studies " . expecting to welcome you heartily in vienna jeff bernard ( director isss ; secr . gen . iass ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - jeff bernard ( iass-ais secretary general ) institute for socio - semiotic studies isss waltergasse 5 / 1 / 12 , a-1040 vienna , austria phone + fax + 43 - 1-5045344 e - mail : gloria . withalm @ uni-ak . ac . at 7th iass-ais congress 1999 / 10 / 6-11 technical university dresden " http : / / www . tu-dresden . de / sulifg / semiotics " = call for papers iass-ais homepage http : / / vhf . msh-paris . fr / escom / ais / aisindex . html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
