Surrealism+6+Surrealism+&+Music


 * Surrealism & Music **


 * "Enough of clouds, waves, aquariums, water-sprites and nocturnal scents; what we need is a music of the earth, everyday music . . . music one can live in like a house." - Jean Cocteau**

Music is one of the most malleable medium available. The ability to shift its forces to fit any message or purpose is just one of music’s beautiful qualities. A song has the potential to reach the masses, allowing one interpretation to influence or at least shift society’s attention for a moment. The mere possibility of affecting others is one of the most intriguing aspects of music, yet it is not always the end to the means.

As for the surrealist group Les Six, a group of musicians allied with the Surrealist movement led by Andre Breton, was intrinsically inspired to make their individual surrealist styles of music. They used similar aesthetics to compliment their personal ethics. One of the only things the surrealist musicians in Les Six could agree on is the importance of using non-traditional methods of composition to slowly pry open the minds of the masses. Les Six were dedicated to allowing their music to carry the message that truth can be found once one allows odd or absurd ways of interpreting the day to day life. Les Six comprised of Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, and Germaine Tailleferre. "The indifference of the public is what's depressing. Enthusiasm, or vehement protest, shows that your work really lives," said Darius Milhaud. This was the only unifying theme amongst all these musicians. The other prominent musicians of the Surrealist movement included George “Bad Boy” Antheil, who studied under Stravinsky and utilized an aggressive style of composition. He was most famous for hi//s// //Ballet Mécanique//, which used airplane propellers to add emphasis. One of the most famous Surrealist musicians was Erik Satie, who had always been rejected in the music conservatory for his unmelodic and untraditional forms of composition. Satie worked closely with Tristen Tzara, collaborating together through their untraditional views of life, which allows one to discover a new way of life, and by reinterpreting normal situations from alternative perspectives one can allow creativity and ingenuity to thrive.

The Surrealist musicians eventually disbanded, for they all had contrasting views on what the group represented. Some wanted to apply political messages to their music, supporting the Surrealist’s pro-Communism stance, yet some were only focused on the beauty found within the dissidence and incongruities of their music. The group was short lived, but can be paralleled to the Surrealist movement as a whole.

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Works Cited:

"Dada and Surrealism." //Oxford Art Online // . Oxford University Press, 2010. Web. 17 March 2010. . //Hoffman, Irene. "Documents in Dada and Surrealism: Dada and Surrealist Journals in the Mary Reynolds Collection." //The Art Institute of Chicago //. The Art Institute of Chicago, 2001. Web. 17 March 2010. . //  “Surrealism.” Surrealism Period, Surrealist Artists, Surrealism History & Dali. //The Art History Guide. // 17 March 2010. < http://www.arthistoryguide.com/Surrealism.aspx>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 150%;">rmutt@umich.edu. “The Vice of Surrealism.” //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Flightless Hummingbird-A pseudo-periodical //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 150%;">. 17 March 2010. <http://www.personal.umich.edu/~rmutt/dictionary/breton.html?Surrealism>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">"Springtime in Paris: Erik Satie." //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Minnesota Public Radio: Music // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; letter-spacing: 1pt; line-height: 150%;">. Minnesota Public Radio, 2005. Web. 17 March 2010. <http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0003_satie/satie.shtml>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; line-height: 19px;">"Springtime in Paris: Les Six." //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Minnesota Public Radio: Music // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; line-height: 19px;">. Minnesota Public Radio, 2005. Web. 17 March 2010. <http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0003_satie/lessix.shtml>.