HV059 General Theory of Art and Music Semiotics

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Marek Sedláček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Marek Sedláček, Ph.D.
Department of Music – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: doc. PhDr. Marek Sedláček, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Music – Faculty of Education
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquire basic knowledge in the field of general theory of arts and semiotics, acquisition of relevant terminology, insight into the issue of perception and interpretation of artwork. The objective of the seminar is to deepen the acquired knowledge and its application in artistic and pedagogical practice.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the students should be able to understand the structural system of music composition, the basic semiotic and art concepts in relations.
Syllabus
  • The program of lectures:
  • 1. Relation between aesthetics and theory of art. Art, its classification, specificity of art communication, means of artistic expression
  • 2. Function, potential and actualized value, changeability of norms
  • 3. The Development of general, artistic and music semiotics
  • 4. The main kinds of sign: icon, index and symbol; a theory of signs (type, token, interpretant etc.)
  • 5. Art work as a sign system, codes in music and other kinds of art
  • 6. The analysis of art work
  • 7. Art work in time of its technical reproducibility
  • 8. Mass culture in general term
  • 9. The Kitsch as a product of mass culture; problem of advertisement; the midcult
  • 10. Relationship between art and non-art, commerciality in music
  • 11. Pragmatic level of semiotics
  • Main content of seminar:
  • The complex analysis of selected music pieces focused on the semantic analysis
  • Metodics of complex and semantic analysis
  • The semantic notion of interpretation of music work.
  • The meaning in music.
  • The program music, the signification of art, an axiological point of view.
  • The kitsch in art and non-art music.
Literature
  • FALTUS, L. Hudební sémiotika pro skladatele. Brno: JAMU, 1993.
  • VOLEK, J. Hudební struktura jako znak a hudba jako znakový systém,
  • MAREK, Z. FALTUS, L. K~sémantické analýze hudebního díla. Brno: PdF UJEP, 1982.
  • FUKAČ, J. - POLEDŇÁK, I. K~typologickým polarizacím hudby, zejména polarizaci hudby artificiální a nonartificiální. Hudební věda, 1977, č. 4.
  • SEDLÁČEK, Marek. Východiska poslechových činností ve výuce hudební výchovy na základních a středních školách (k sémantické analýze Obětem Hirošimy Krzysztofa Pendereckého) (Theoretical Base of Listening Activities for Teaching Music in Primary and Secondary Schools (to the semantic analysis of Thren - To the Victims of Hiroshima of Krzysztof Penderecki)). In Musica viva in schola XIX. 1st ed. Brno: MU, 2005, p. 68-81, 13 pp. ISBN 80-210-3796-2. info
  • SEDLÁČEK, Marek. Eco, Umberto. Teorie sémiotiky (A Theory of Semiotics) (A Theory of Semiotics). (Translated by Marek Sedláček). 1st ed. Brno: JAMU, 2004, 410 pp. JAMU. ISBN 80-85429-99-3. info
  • JIRÁK, Jan and Barbara KÖPPLOVÁ. Média a společnost. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2003, 207 s. ISBN 8071786977. info
  • JIRÁK, Jan and Barbara KÖPPLOVÁ. Média a společnost. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2003, 207 s. ISBN 80-7178-697-7. info
  • SEDLÁČEK, Marek. K problematice sémantické analýzy v kontextu komplexní analýzy (To the Problem of Semantic Analysis in the Context of Complex Analysis). In Olomoucké jarní muzikologické konference. 1st ed. Olomouc: PdF UPOL, 2000, p. 49-52. Sborník referátů ze 3. a 4. ročníku. ISBN 80-244-0181-9. info
  • HAWKES, Terence. Strukturalismus a sémiotika. Translated by Olga Trávníčková. Vyd. 1. Brno: Host, 1999, 174 s. ISBN 8086055620. info
  • POSTMAN, Neil. Ubavit se k smrti : veřejná komunikace ve věku zábavy. Translated by Irena Reifová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1999, 190 s. ISBN 8020407472. info
  • MCQUAIL, Denis. Úvod do teorie masové komunikace. Edited by Jan Jirák. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 1999, 447 s. ISBN 8071782009. info
  • Musical semiotics in growth. Edited by Eero Tarasti - Paul Forsell - Richard Littlefield. Imatra: Indiana University Press, 1996, xvii, 642. ISBN 0-253-21009-7. info
  • ECO, Umberto. Skeptikové a těšitelé. Translated by Zdeněk Frýbort. Vydání první. Praha: Svoboda, 1995, 417 stran. ISBN 8020504729. info
  • TARASTI, Eero. A theory of musical semiotics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994, xvi, 328 s. ISBN 0-253-35649-0. info
  • CHVATÍK, Květoslav. Strukturální estetika :řád věcí a řád člověka. 1. vyd. Praha: Victoria Publishing, 1994, 86 s. ISBN 80-85865-03-3. info
  • KULKA, Tomáš. Umění a kýč. Praha: Torst, 1994, 183 s. ISBN 8085639173. info
  • VOLEK, Jaroslav. Základy obecné teorie umění. Vyd. 1. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1968, 259 s. URL info
Teaching methods
Lectures, theoretical practising, discussion.
Assessment methods
Oral exam, semester paper (8 pages) on arranged topic electronically submitted at the end of semester and student's presentation (15 min) of the semantic analysis of the selected program music composition.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/HV059