Deleuze, ruyer, and musical morphogenesis

Abstract

The essay discusses Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of the refrain, which is understood as a rhythmic pattern found both in musical compositions and natural phenomena, such as birdsongs. Following Jacob von Uexküll, Deleuze and Guattari argue that a refrain is an assemblage connecting a biological being and its milieu, and the appropriation of this milieu by specific practices of deterritorialization. Deleuze and Guattari also refer to Raymond Ruyer, who argues that every living organism develops according to its melodic theme. In other words, a musical pattern becomes the organizing principal of morphogenetic development. This insight does not lead to the conclusion that music is biological or organismic; rather Deleuze and Guattari argue that music is a medium for becoming, which creates heterogeneous assemblages between musical and biological, artistic and natural phenomena.