Review

Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony

Volume: 11 Number: 2 May 4, 2026
TR EN

Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony

Abstract

This paper argues that musical reception is not merely an aesthetic experience but a sociomusical process shaped by the artist’s identity and political stance within hegemonic relations. For Frith (1996), listeners’ emotional alliances formed with the performer and the performer’s other listeners are crucial for understanding how the bond with the artist is constructed. In conditions of heightened political intensity, the artist’s political stance, articulated through their practices and statements as part of their public image, directly influences musical reception. Following Shiner’s (2001) account of the “invention of art,” it demonstrates that the concepts of art and the artist are historically linked to the rise of the bourgeoisie, highlighting how the connotations of “genius” and “freedom” have served as ideological foundations defining the artist’s social role. In this regard, the paper examines anecdotes about the image of the artist, which Kris and Kurz (1934/1979) trace back to antiquity. By focusing on “listening to the artist’s identity,” this paper demonstrates how the artist’s political position transforms musical reception itself. The artist emerges as a symbolic center of power, shaped through discursive processes that extend beyond the individual subject, carrying historical and social meanings and representing political positions. Within the framework of Gramsci’s (1947/2021) theory of hegemony, it is argued that artists have the potential to produce either “consent” or “resistance” within the hegemonic order, as organic or traditional intellectuals. This paper presents a theoretical/critical review based on an interpretive reading of key literature and publicly available materials. Finally, it concludes that, because of the historical and ideological construction of the concepts of art and the artist, the artist’s political stance can influence the listener’s aesthetic experience. The paper highlights that the political alliance in which the artist, as a hegemonic subject, participates structures the emotional alliances listeners form with the artist. Thus, from a Gramscian perspective, artists – who are intellectuals by nature – can become key subjects influencing musical reception by assuming the organic or traditional intellectual roles within the hegemonic order.

Keywords

References

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  3. Becker, H. S. (1982). Art worlds. University of California Press.
  4. Beethoven, L. van. (1804). Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 (Eroica) [Symphony].
  5. Beethoven, L. van. (1808). Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 [Symphony].
  6. Beethoven, L. van. (1824). Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 [Choral symphony].
  7. Bennett, A. (2005). Culture and everyday life. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446219256
  8. Borges, J. L. (1964). Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote. In D. A. Yates & J. E. Irby (Eds.), Labyrinths: Selected stories and other writings (pp. 36-44). A New Directions Book.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

May 4, 2026

Submission Date

January 13, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 14, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 2

APA
Tan, S. (2026). Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony. Online Journal of Music Sciences, 11(2), 807-819. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1862907
AMA
1.Tan S. Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony. ojomus. 2026;11(2):807-819. doi:10.31811/ojomus.1862907
Chicago
Tan, Selim. 2026. “Listening to the Artist’s Identity: Music, Artist, and Hegemony”. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11 (2): 807-19. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1862907.
EndNote
Tan S (May 1, 2026) Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11 2 807–819.
IEEE
[1]S. Tan, “Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony”, ojomus, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 807–819, May 2026, doi: 10.31811/ojomus.1862907.
ISNAD
Tan, Selim. “Listening to the Artist’s Identity: Music, Artist, and Hegemony”. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11/2 (May 1, 2026): 807-819. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1862907.
JAMA
1.Tan S. Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony. ojomus. 2026;11:807–819.
MLA
Tan, Selim. “Listening to the Artist’s Identity: Music, Artist, and Hegemony”. Online Journal of Music Sciences, vol. 11, no. 2, May 2026, pp. 807-19, doi:10.31811/ojomus.1862907.
Vancouver
1.Selim Tan. Listening to the artist’s identity: Music, artist, and hegemony. ojomus. 2026 May 1;11(2):807-19. doi:10.31811/ojomus.1862907