Seminar XXIV Final Sessions 1 - Lacan in Ireland

e something rather enigmatic, will be something of the order of theinvocatory drive and its reversal into a listening drive. I mean that the wordlistening drive, does not, I believe, exist does not exist anywhere as such, itremains altogether problematic. And more precisely when I spoke aboutthese ideas to Dr Lacan, I should say that it is more specifically on thesubject of the problem of music and of trying to locate, to locate for alistener who listens to some music that touches him, let us say that has aneffect on him, to locate the different moments because I am going to trytherefore to convey to you now rather succinctly because I did not prepare atext, nor notes? So then excuse me if it’s a little improvised.I imagine, if you wish, that, if you listen to some music, I am talking about amusic that speaks to you or that ‘musics’ you, I start from the idea that, ifyou listen, the way in which you take this music, I will start from the ideathat from the outset it is as an auditor that you function; that appearsobvious, but in fact it is not so simple. Namely, that I would say that if themusic, at the very first moment – the moments that I am going to try todecorticate for the convenience of the presentation are not of course to betaken as chronological moments, but as moment which might be logical, andthat I necessarily disarticulate them for the convenience of the presentation– if therefore music has an effect on you as a listener, I think one can saythat it is because somewhere, as a listener, it is just as if it gave you ananswer. Now the problem begins with the fact that this answer thereforegives rise in you the antecedents of a questions which dwelt in you as Other,qua Other, qua listener who dwells in you without you knowing it; youdiscover therefore that there is here a subject somewhere which appears tohave heard a question that is in you and which, would not only have heardit, but has been inspired by it, since music, the production of the ‘musicing’subject, if you wish, would be the answer to this question that is supposed todwell in you. Therefore you already see that if one wished to articulate thatto the desire of the Other: if there is in me, qua other, a desire, anunconscious lack, I have the testimony that the subject which receives thislack is not paralysed by it, it is not fading because of it, underneath, like thesubject which is under the injunction of the che vuoi, but on the contrary is32