"Space of silence": irony and optical illusions in new music

Abstract

The article is devoted to manifestations of irony towards the existential categories, that resulted in shifting conventional reference points, on the example of works by the composers of the second half of the XX century. Irony is one of the starting points of new music: delicate semantic game with existential categories, elimination of height and depth, in some cases, legitimacy of sound and silence that allows various density of sound material, all these elements are to some extent connected with irony concerning a traditional approach to sound means. Emptiness as a musical form came to new music with John Cage’s creativity. Emptiness filling by sounds and silence shape a new philosophy of listening, which becomes further the main creative method of such composers as Salvatore Sciarrino and Helmut Lachenmann, whose creative views and works are the main concern of the article.

Keywords:

space of silence, optical illusions