Enantiodromia: The Counter Movement of Extremes

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References

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DOI 10.34690/371

Author Levon O. Hakobian (Akopyan)

Affiliation State Institute for Art Studies, Moscow, Russia

Email levonh451@yandex.ru

ORCID

0000-0002-5246-4697

Abstract

The psychological mechanism of enantiodromia (Greek: “counter movement”), described by C. G. Jung, consists of the particularly intense unilateral drive compensation by impulses aimed in the opposite direction. The Greek composer and Jung disciple Jani Christou (1926–1970) used the same term as a title for one of his orchestral pieces. The piece in question, together with some other works by Christou, can serve as a good illustration of how an avant-garde composer’s drive towards absolute novelty, according to the rule of enantiodromia, directs him towards the elemental musical gestures and the archetypal notions of the world. The mutual attraction between the extreme avant-garde writing and the archetypal contents rooted in the depths of human psychology (the Jungian “universal soul”) seems to be a valuable, exciting, and, perhaps, still underexplored topic of the last century’s music history. The article also discusses some examples from the oeuvre of other radical composers active in the second half of the 20th century, especially Giacinto Scelsi (“Prânam I” in memory of Christou) and Iannis Xenakis (“Oresteïa” after Aeschylus).

Keywords avant-garde, philosophy of music, Music of the 20th century, C. G. Jung, J. Christou, E. Varèse, G. Scelsi, I. Xenakis

For citation

Hakobian (Akopyan), L. H. “Enantiodromia: the counter movement of extremes.” Muzykal’naya akademiya [Music Academy], no. 1, 2024, pp. 156–175, doi:10.34690/371. (In Russ.)

Published 04.05.2023

Approved 20.06.2023

Submitted 25.03.2024

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Enantiodromia: The Counter Movement of Extremes

Enantiodromia: The Counter Movement of Extremes

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