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 Americana Ars Politica Ars Americana Ars Politica Ars Americana, Ars Politica: Partisan Expression in Contemporary American Literature and Culture is a 2010 critical study by Peter Swirski. The book examines contemporary American political literature and culture in the context of American politics and history. It examines not only the partisan credentials of what it argues is a new brand of art engagé but also the nobrow style in which it conducts its political business. The principal examples of American literature that Swirski discusses in detail are: Irving Wallace’s "The Man" (1964), Richard Condon’s "Death of a Politician" (1978), P.J. O’Rourke’s "Parliament of Whores"