Form- Richard Middleton Pages 141-155 Lecture 1 * Form and contrast discussion of works of art * Form is the shape or structure of work * Content is it's substance, meaning, ideas or expressive effects * T.W Adorns argued popular music deficient because its forms predictable and schematic * In "serious music" the form of a piece is individual- worked out afresh so all details interrelate and cohere * This Process emphasizes the internal qualities and music flow * Schenkerian theory- Sees the surface events of musical foreground as a "composing out" of deeper sets of background relationship between pitches and chords * Genres defined by conventions governing musical process * Repetition important part of music * In "come home father" the two phrases are identical except the final two notes * In "embraceable you" the second phrase repeats the first exactly, but at a higher pitch * In James Brown "Superbad" there are 2 sections, "Verse" and "Bridge" which alternate * Bob Dylans "Subterry neon homesick blues" there is much reliance on miasmatic repetition * With this a sense of groove is created

Why do songs have words?- Simon Frith (online readings) Lecture 2 * In the 50's and 60's sociologists concentrated on songs rather than singers and audience * It was possible to read the lyrics and figure out the social forces that produced them

Content Analysis * All pop songs classified under 3 main headings * Happy in love, Frustrated in love and Novelty songs with sex interest * J.G Peatman first systematic analyst of pop song * Peatman believed people were buying the same music over and over again * Mooney another analyst argued pop songs reflected the emotional needs of their time * Choosing what songs to buy or listen to is a cultural expression * Songs reflected beliefs and values of their listeners * Pop songs popular due to their closeness with their consumers

Mass Culture * Pop songs criticized for their banality, imagery and emotion * Mass culture turned visions of extraordinary into clinches of ordinary

Realism * Realism is asserting a direct relationship between a lyric and the social or economic condition * Folk songs authentic because they sprang from people themselves * They weren't commodies * "Authentic song" must represent the real reality of the working class * Blues rep American social condition and personal response to these conditions * Example black songs symbolize the struggle of growing up * Blues represent the struggles of oppressed people * Blues singer also represents his or her refusal to accept daily life * Soul singer similarly expresses personal feelings in a public manner * Use of everyday black talk made blues interesting * "True songs are songs that hit me in the heart"

Making Meaning * Same pop music material just used in different way * Norman argued people only listened to beat and rhythm * Research survey confirmed most people didn't know the meaning behind songs * "Bad rock" works drivel * "Real Rock" lyrics that involve poetry and or politics
Poetry of Pop * Words are the sign of a voice * Direct sign of character and emotion * Voice is transparent representation of feeling * Different pop forms engage listeners in different narratives of desire * Critics focus on realism and lyrical content * They have neglected to analyze the way songs are about themselves, language

Authorship-Will Straw - pp. 199-208 Lecture 3 * Debates over authorship in cinema acknowledged multiple kinds of labor and creativity which went into making films * Music however is different than cinemas * Only after WWI did performers started writing their own music * Also the idea of the "Career" * Career- Body of work through which personality takes shape * Body of work endows performers personal with unity * Critics evaluated musical recordings based on individual or integrated groups * Musical performers usually build upon prior performances * Music industries helped build form * Through which collective music traditions can become object of protected investments * Problem of authorship is popular music has been reduced to relationship between songwriter and song * Identities of performers help build upon activity of the past * This has lead to artists with distinct identities and stable careers * This has also lead the music industry to seek money from a series of records and performers * Major record companies limit themselves to artist that can be marketed
Licensing and Publishing +Technology and popular music studies 209-213, 225-233 Lecture 4 and 5 * Any pop music recording or performance is produced on an economic and industrial context * Even though music is art, money is a huge factor * This is evident through live and recorded music * All music is commercial products sold as commodities by large corporate conglomerates

Approaches * Critics argue pop music audience is essentially created by the music industry * Record companies generate and fill demand for standardized products * Adorno stated music is like selling any other product * Making profit in pop music is difficult and complicated * This is because pop style changes so frequently * Selling records is highly unpredictable * Music industry will stop making certain music if they feel it's not profitable * Traditional approach focuses on creativity of pop music * music culture and economics two important aspects of pop music * Important to look at tension of music role as cultural expression and its position within an economic and industrial context
Record companies: Major and Independent * Most discs and cassettes produced by major record labels * This means firms who oversee or control production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion * 2 important developments in structure and operations of major companies * First they have increased in size and scope * this is by creating domestic and international companies and music publishing firms * Second the majors increasingly consolidated within and controlled by corporate conglomerates that own or control companies around the world * Software(recordings, song copyrights) supported by and used to support other products within the larger corporation * Record labels large corporate, that increase amount of capital and global corporate infrastructure * This has in return decreased relationship between major and independent record companies * Independent companies sometimes ignore independent labels and their music * Pure independence is difficult to achieve and maintain * At times both industries been successful
Technology
* Technology misunderstood term in music * People argue technology makes music "unauthentic" * "Live music" is the essential mode of musical reception and production leads to portray of technology as being a corrupt force * All music making based on some type of technology * The word technology is not used in the sense of technologies * Critics ignore the degree to which other genres of pop music are electronically based
Performance-David Shumway pp. 188-198 Lecture 6 * Music long defined as a "performing art" * we typically use the word performance to mean a particular action undertaken by group or individual * All forms of music offered for public consumption weather recorded of live are performances * Different genres of music treat relation of text ad performance somewhat different * In classical music performance is strongly opposed to composition * In Jazz relations between performance and composition are reversed compared to classical * Another distinct definition of performance- A performance is not of a work, it is the work * Composition opposite to performance * Rock n rollers started writing their own songs in the studio as they recorded in the 60's * Classic critics regard recording as being a copy * Multitrack recording made it possible to record a song without the recording of a performance * Recording assumed priority over performance in rock * Rock audience demands repetition of what it knows and loves * Jazz audience wants novelty * Why do fans go to concerts at all when you can hear a recording? * Live performance is more powerful in defining rock n roll as a practice * Rock performances no limited to the playing of music * While recordings are rock n rolls most significant product * Performance is indispensable to rock n roll