ERWIN PANOFSKY�S ICONOLOGY AND THE ANALYSIS OF MUSICAL COMPOSITION: ON SEARCHING NEW SEMANTIC STRATEGIES

The paper offers a renewed interest for Erwin Panofsky�s iconology, which consists of the applying of this concept and analytical method to musical art per se. Although Panofsky himself did not intend to introduce his methodology into the sphere of music, he establishes correlations between some musical compositions and painting. Thus, Panofsky felt the presence of certain general laws of the formation of structure of the artistic whole in painting and music. In terms of iconology, music, like painting, presupposes the original hermeneutic algorithm, which consists of three steps. Firstly, the �purely formal perception� generates the factual meaning and consists of primary ordering of expressive means and unconscious establishing of their relations; and the �emphatic� perception produces the expressional meaning that is induced by the modality of an artwork and properties of expressive means. Secondly, the intelligible signification depends on conventional meanings assigned to expressive means. Thirdly, the aesthetic synthesis depends on an author�s intention, causes the content and consists of considering each of constructive and expressive means (strokes, color areas, lines, sounds, chords, modes) as a sense-generating unit. In the same epoch and in the same style these units have the equal intentional characteristics within the boundaries of a concrete art because of transmitting the same symbolic values (Ernst Cassirer) relating to space, time, mentality and world perception. This paper presents the applying of this three-step algorithm to musical artworks in total.