Modern Popular Music Spring 2014 Notes What is pop music Want to dance Mass produced Catchy Beat o Mass produced music o Accessed through multi modal media o Listened to by many o Draws and builds from pre existing music o Doesn t happen in a vacuum o Relation to people places political contexts institutions o Reflection and representation of culture o Always changing o Dependent on its producer o Changes but reincarnations of familiar issues Identity and Difference o Gender Social construction male vs female o Sexuality Sexual practices and identity can we related to sex gender and not defined o Race Construct socially of biological differences physical social inherited racism still inherited o Ethnicity Socially constructed based off cultural traits o Age Young culture o Disability Ability Body Differences Disability becomes an identity o Place Space vs Place place has meaning space is land space Mainstream and produced often power capital and control becomes place o Class Economic hierarchy determines life Center and Periphery in Pop Music o Center of pop music o Periphery Not part of mainstream outsider culture Center for subculture s music Punk in NYC Basic Pop music Terms and Concepts o What is American o What is culture Socially agreed upon behavior patterns Products creations shared and valued Stared ideas beliefs values behavior o 3 streams in pop music o Pop Music analysis term European American African America Hispanic Latino American Boxing Genres Musical structure or form Verse chorus verse AABA ABA 12 bareblues Riff Repeated pattern designed to generate rhythmic momentum p 8 instrumental Hook Memorable musical phrase or riff p 8 vocal Groove A term that evokes flow of swinging p 8 or any rhythmic feeling or sensation Riff or hook can have it Timbre Quality of sound o Pop Music industry Terms Composer writes the song harmony melody etc Lyricist Writes lyrics creation of melody phrasing of lyrics Arranger Decides the instruments used and how A R artists and repertoire people who seek talent Producer Finance record helps artist develop creates in Technology affects pop music industry and popular studio culture Theodor Adorno o German critical theorist had beef with music and culture o He argues Culture industry manipulates thinking to buy cultural commodities through capitalism music only made to sell not real music false consciousness o High art V Low Art High Serious and freeing Low Controls people Black Minstrelsy and Stephen Foster o What is black face minstrelsy Technology and mass mediation during Nazi propaganda thought of control Considered by Europeans Musical Theatrical First distinctive American form of entertainment Origins in ritual celebration for Christmas NY and carnival Blackface whiteface non racist type Folk performances Mid 1800s 1900s Racist type Different from early blackface Continued till 1970s Not appropriate now early it wasn t racist but became it Why is it important to U S pop music Dominant form Influenced developed forms in pop Early Blackface o Common for whites to play black ex Othello Shakespeare o Origins in ritual celebrations for Christmas NY and carnival Folk performances performances of fool characters Challenged status quo Early blackface Minstrelsy o Folk lower class theatres Urban whites Cultural expression of marginalization Political performance challenge status quo Music based off of Irish Scottish melodies Based off of early non racist blackface o Performance Perceived blackness Irishness lower class inferior exotic Jim Crow International fame impoverish slave from south Zip coon northern black dandy Mid Late 1800s minstrelsy o Who performed White actors musicians Ethiopian songs Jim Crow and Zip coon racist interpretation of blackness o Upper class whites race European white o Thomas Dartmouth Rice Working class white o George Washington Dixon plantation coon Racist interpretations Comedic Acts o Popular for all classes High profit Big in south Upper class o Eventually black performers Authenticity blacks still use same racist stereotype 1800s Minstrel Groups o Virginia Minstrels led by Dan Emmett 1st big minstrel group Standardized minstrel ensemble banjos bones tambourine violin Mr Interlocutor o Christy s original band of Virginia Minstrels led by E P Christy Not actual original used for marketing Better musicians bigger range performances more PG music for a wider audience Stephen Foster compositions Stephen Foster o 1st important composer of American pop music o 1st American to make living as a songwriter Royalties from sheet music o Master of creating hook o Sentimental songs o Worked with minstrel groups popularized his music o Old folks at home aka Suwannee River his biggest hit plantation song Blackface Minstrelsy in 20th century Al Jonson Jazz Singer o A Jewish American entertainer 1930s o Performance style from 19th century blackface o Loud stage voice exaggerated gestures o The Jazz Singer 1927 Early film with sound Blackface Is central character development Vernon and Ryan very racist o Put paint in comedy act go from W to B o As they darken themselves they switch to black slang Tin Pan Alley and Ragtime Tin Pan Alley o 1890 s rise of modern America music industry o New publishes lower Manhattan 28th street o Founded Eastern European Jewish Immigrants o Room filled with composers and song pluggers Industry of Tin Pan Alley o Goal to produce hit songs for profit Sell of 1 million o Publish and sell sheet music o Market for pop songs performed at theatres Tin Pan Alley o Song plugger promote songs at department stores clubs o Vaudeville Influence from Minstrelsy Traveling variety shows Singers acrobats comedians jugglers dancers animals Popularized Tin Pan Alley Songs Tabs or theatres and music stores Lucrative for vaudeville performances Styles and Performances o Influential to pop music in 10th century Themes Forms Performance styles Use of vernacular speech Jazz Ragtime o Influences Stephen Foster tunes parlor songs waltz songs What were Tin Pan Alley songs about o Early 1890 1910 sentimental plantation songs romantic waltz o Later 1920 1930 Privacy The home middle class life Romance New love Lust Racist Sexiest Themes Language Ignorance about races black Chinese After the Ball Early TPA o Composer Charles K Harris o 1892 Verse chorus song o Mega hit 5 million copies o Declined selling rights made 25 000 month Golden Age of Tin Pan Alley o 1920 s 1930 s same area in NYC o Eastern European Jewish Immigrants o
View Full Document
Unlocking...