Program music 1970s in particular experimented with program music, among which was Rush's "Jacob's Ladder" (1980), which shows clear influences of Smetana's "Má vlast" ("My Homeland") (1874-1879). In addition, Rush's songs "Xanadu", "Red Barchetta", and "YYZ" also show their experimentalism with program music, as do parts of "2112", particularly the discovery scene. Composers and some theorists argue that there is indeed no such thing as true "absolute ("ars gratia artis") music" and that music always at least conveys or evokes emotions. While non-professional listeners often claim that music has meaning (to them), "new" musicologists, such as Susan McClary (1999), argue that so-called
Ars moriendi "artis bene moriendi", was composed in 1415 by an anonymous Dominican friar, probably at the request of the Council of Constance (1414–1418, Germany). This was widely read and translated into most West European languages, and was very popular in England, where a tradition of consolatory death literature survived until the 17th century. Works in the English tradition include "The Way of Dying Well" and "The Sick Mannes Salve". In 1650, "Holy Living and Holy Dying" became the "artistic climax" of the tradition that had begun with "Ars moriendi". "Ars Moriendi" was also among the first books printed with movable type