Music As a Factor of Social Cohesion: At What Conditions?

Music as a factor of social cohesion: at what conditions?

Music is often considered a universal language. As the most abstract of all arts it can easily be listened without considering the language as a boundary to its appreciation. As every artistic expressions is connected with a given social context, but also music has a code belonging to a certain relation to language and its sound. Each social context has a unique relation with imagination and the role of the arts in such context is the outcome of such peculiar relationship. Besides cultural and aesthetic values, every artistic expression has a potential social function: art and music can create a sense of belonging improving social cohesion as well as its contrary; art can also contribute either to the change of cultural taste opening the way to new social order conceptions, or confirming traditions and identities. Moreover, music as culture can play a crucial role in the process of understanding cultural dynamics acting in a given place. According to the results of a field research carried out in a trilingual land: “Music culture and social function of music in Alto Adige”, this paper will go through a possible typology of the social role of the music, as well as the relation between language and music starting from the different repertoires, traditions and pedagogies in the three different languages (Italian, German and Ladin). Is it possible to trace a social relation to music according to the different traditions and values? Is it possible to understand the culture of a place also trough its music choices? Is music a generation factor of cohesion or a culture factor of cohesion? Can music preferences be influenced by the dimension of a society/community and its dominant language?