Écoutant la musique de pan: Regarding the ontological horizons of 'Pause' in Claude Debussy’s Syrinx

Abstract

The basic thesis of this paper is that 'pause' represents the ontological center of Claude Debussy’s (1862-1918) Syrinx for solo flute (1913). The phenomenon of the musical work is interpreted through an ontological perspective, following Roman Ingarden’s reflections presented in his Ontology of the Work of Art, having also in mind the different modes in which music can exist, that can be read from Ferruccio Busoni’s Sketch of a New Esthetic of Music. Since the programmatic content of Syrinx represents the myth of Pan’s flute, we necessarily introduce Mircea Eliade's explication of the phenomenon of myth, more precisely, of the mythical time, into the theoretical discussion as well.

Keywords

• syrinx by claude debussy
• ontology of the musical work
• myth of pan’s flute
• musical time
• great time