Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Indiana Theory Review
Abstract
Barthes’s five narrative codes—hermeneutic, proairetic, semantic, symbolic, and referential—are applied to Leoš Janáček’s programmatic music to decode how musical elements, motives, and structures (speech-melody, folk influences) generate meaning. Novak uses the codes in a detailed analysis of Janáček’s orchestral poem The Fiddler’s Child. This framework analyzes affective associations, formal actions, and enigmas within his orchestral works. The hermeneutic code governs the proposal, sustaining, and resolution of musical “enigmas” or mysteries within the piece. The proairetic code focuses on the sequential actions of the music. The semantic code identifies specific musical motives and their connotative meanings. The symbolic code identifies deeper thematic oppositions, such as tension between different tonalities; The referential code connects the music to external knowledge, such as Moravian folk music, literature, or historical context. The analysis demonstrates that Janáček’s music is designed to be "rife with identifiable meaning" through these structural elements.
First Page
25
Last Page
64
Publication Date
Spring 1997
Recommended Citation
Novak, John K. “Barthes’s Narrative Codes as a Technique for the Analysis of Programmatic Music: An Analysis of Janáček’s ‘The Fiddler’s Child.’” Indiana Theory Review 18, no. 1 (1997): 25–64.
Original Citation
Novak, John K. “Barthes’s Narrative Codes as a Technique for the Analysis of Programmatic Music: An Analysis of Janáček’s ‘The Fiddler’s Child.’” Indiana Theory Review 18, no. 1 (1997): 25–64.
Department
School of Music
Rights Statement
In copyright
Comments
The citation for the version of record for this article is: Novak, John K. “Barthes’s Narrative Codes as a Technique for the Analysis of Programmatic Music: An Analysis of Janáček’s ‘The Fiddler’s Child.’” Indiana Theory Review 18, no. 1 (1997): 25–64. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24044562