The Problem of the Interaction of Musical Culture and Sign Language in the Mirror of Art Criticism of the Second Half of the XIXth Centurу – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Daria O. MARTYNOVA
Saint Petersburg State University
7-9, Universitetskaya Embankment (Universitetskaya naberezhnaya), Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
Junior Researcher
PhD (in Art Studies)
e-mail: d.o.martynova@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0003-0426-6458

The Problem of the Interaction of Musical Culture and Sign Language in the Mirror of Art Criticism of the Second Half of the XIXth Centurу

Abstract: The object of the research is the critical notes and caricatures from music halls, cabarets, and cafe-chantants in the XIXth century, while the subject is the evolution of the mutual influence between music and sign language as reflected in the criticism and graphics of that era. The choice of this object and subject was determined by the fact that during the XIXth century, the growth of cafes-concerts, music halls, and cabarets stimulated the publication of illustrated books and critical reviews that discussed the significance of new musical forms for visual culture. These publications often featured critical notes accompanied by illustrations that vividly demonstrated the fusion of music with sign language through new dance and song forms. While critical notes are an important part of the study, the focus is also on the illustrative material that accompanies them. These illustrations are crucial in demonstrating how the cartoonists and illustrators of the time used visual language to express the unique aspects of the interaction between music and sign in the performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the ways and methods in which musical culture and sign language interacted on the pages of illustrated print publications in the second half of the XIXth century. After analyzing illustrations, cartoons, and critical notes about music and entertainment in the second half of the XIXth century, the author concluded that most critical notes on cabarets, cafés-concerts, and music halls were based solely on the personal experiences of the critics who wrote them. This was due to a lack of critical and academic tools to analyze new interludes. As a result, articles and notes in the press during this period began to be accompanied by illustrations to help convey the message of the critical record. Some texts turned into a kind of “comic book”, imitating other forms of newspaper writing and criticism (such as forensic journalism), or were replaced entirely by illustrations, like the cafe-chantant microbe from “The Fool”, which, in its very appearance, demonstrated a negative attitude towards the songs, roles, and musical numbers of café-chantant’s artists.

Key words: art of the XIXth century, intercultural interaction, popular culture, reception of musical practices, theory of reception in art, graphics, polycode text in art, intermedia studies, visual communications.

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For Citation:

Martynova, D. (2024) The Problem of the Interaction of Musical Culture and Sign Language in the Mirror of Art Criticism of the Second Half of the XIXth Century. International Journal of Cultural Research, 4 (57). 90–102. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2024_4_90

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2024_4_90