Rameau's Imaginary Monsters: An Analysis

The Enlightenment period during the 17th and the 18th century brought forth significant social and cultural changes within the society as the enlightenment thinkers proposed theories in contribution to the ongoing changes during the time. Furthermore, the concept of irrationality grew especially for the thinkers during the era as the idea of monstrosity became present adjacent to common figures of humankind and nature as stated within the article Rameau’s Imaginary Monsters by Charles Dill. The development concerning the ideology of monsters caused further difficulties for intellectual thinkers as various forms of monsters became evident within the subject of knowledge (Dill 434). In addition, the metaphorical aspect of monstrosity paved its …show more content…
According to the article Rameau’s theories elaborated on the notion of sensory experiences through musical practice, which were viewed as being radical in nature due to the distinct style and intensity of the music (Dill 442-443). One reason Rameau’s music failed to receive recognition was due to the influence of the French culture as the French were highly interested in literature while disregarding the significance of music on an intellectual level (Dill 446). In the opera Hippolyte et Aricie, Rameau introduces a chromatic progression music accompanying the monstrous figure present within the livret written by Pellegrin nonetheless, the musical composition shook his own theoretical ideas (Dill 463). Based on the criticisms and public opinion Rameau grasped the idea that the concept of language was vital for his theories to gain limelight within the French culture (Dill 460). Yet, his musical compositions were still deemed to be irrational and difficult to process leading him to make altercations to his compositions on a simpler level for the stage performances (Dill