The question of vocation in the social representation of musicians

Abstract

Translation by Clotilde Lainscek. The article sets out to discuss the extent to which the idea of vocation is constitutive of artistic professions, particularly in the musical sphere, and what the consequences of the weight of the idea of vocation are on the social representation of musicians, in other words, on the perception we have of them and that they have of themselves. The idea of artistic vocation is not necessarily associated with income generation - thus distancing itself from the vision of secular vocation that emerged in the 19th century with the rise of individualism and the centrality of production. The artistic vocation is considered to be an innate and unavoidable gift - in this sense, it is closer to the idea of a religious vocation that prevailed until the 18th century. But above all, the representation of artistic vocation is associated with pleasure and passion - which ends up obliterating the choices, difficulties and investments that make up an artistic career.