Music as an Agent of Social Change: An Inspiring Work by Luigi Nono

Abstract

While in the 19th century conservatories were seen as ivory towers, distant from social and economic matters, today the theory termed Socially Engaged Music (SEM), analogous to the already established theory of Socially Engaged Art (SEA), proposes to modernize the mission of these institutions to serve the aspirations and needs of the society in which they operate. This article outlines the key aspects of SEA and SEM and identifies Luigi Nono’s work La fabbrica illuminata as an enlightening example of music focused on social issues.