Abstract This paper analyzes the poem by Langston Hughes, "The Weary Blues". It examines the poem's content, stanzas, and literary components. The paper presents a short description of the life of Langston Hughes and his influence on the Harlem Renaissance. The paper includes the text of the poem.
From the Paper "This poem is not entirely about music, it focuses on a simple musician in a poor yet very creative neighbourhood in upper Manhattan. It focuses on the aspect of Negro culture taking over white instruments and tuning them into something totally different. Another aspect is the simplicity of the poem; it does not include foreign words or sentences that cannot be understood by everyone. That is the point of this poem. It is written for everyone, because music is very universal especially if it has such a dominant rhythm like the blues."
Abstract This paper discusses the history Napster Inc., a company whose name has become synonymous with copyright infringement. The history, how it was done, what is was, and the outcome of Napster are given to illustrate a form of cyber-theft, what can be done about it, and who should resolve this type of issue.
From the Paper "In 1999, an 18-year-old college dropout named Shawn Fanning changed the music industry forever. He created a his file-sharing program called Napster. His idea was to make a program that allowed computer users to share and swap files, especially music, through a centralized file server. His response to this new idea was to download music over the net for more than 60 hours. Fanning wrote a program that combined a music-search function with a file-sharing system. This program also facilitated communication and instant messaging. This is how Napster came to be. (Burkhalter, 2001)"
Abstract Jazz is a music that belongs to all races. This paper argues that, even though there have been a majority of African-American musicians in the jazz community, anyone can play it, write it, and express their feelings through it. There was music being played at the same time jazz began by other people who had a big influence on jazz, however. This paper shows that there have also been many white musicians who have made important and influential contributions to jazz. Over the last few decades, many jazz artists and critics have become vocal about their opinion about jazz and race because there are so many strong opinions about it. The writer concludes that this issue has been discussed privately since jazz became popular and that the connection between jazz and race continues to be a widely discussed topic in the jazz community.
From the Paper "The connection between jazz music and race has been discussed since jazz first became a genre one hundred years ago. Over the last four decades, many jazz artists have become more vocal about the idea that jazz is a black music. The argument is not that all good jazz musicians are black, but that the most immediate and significant ancestors have been black. Some of the major jazz innovators such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane have been black. The view of jazz as a black music, however, is controversial. There are many that believe that jazz is not the property of just one racial group. Artists who are or were not black such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw Stan Getz, Bix Beiderbecke, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Frank Trumbauer, and Charlie Haden have also left distinguished marks on jazz. At the turn of the century, when jazz first became popular, white and black musicians were playing very similar, though not identical, forms of music. Some artists and critics claim that the jazz expression of black Americans is a creative reflection of the black experience, however, most artists see jazz as a way to express personal experience, no matter what race they are. Though the first innovative jazz musicians were black, jazz is a music that belongs to all races."
Abstract This paper explains that online radio, which simply rebroadcasts the content from existing, traditional radio stations or is solely virtual, has done the music industry much more good than harm because it is able to expose a greater diversity of people to artists and a greater diversity of artists to people. The author, using statistics, points out the correlation that the more you burn from the Internet, the more CDs you buy; therefore, the author seeks other causes for the lagging sales in the music industry, such as the recession, competition from other forms of entertainment, consolidation of radio stations, the ever-increasing CD prices, and even cellphones. The paper relates that the music industry's legal campaign against downloading is being circumvented by new technology, such as "Grouper", which only allows users to "stream" songs from a peer and, thus, operates legally under the "private performance" section of the copyright law.
Table of Contents
Introduction
History of Online Radio
History of Music Downloads
Effects of Online Radio on the Music Industry
Effects of Music Downloads
Current Legal Status of Downloading
From the Paper "As technology increased, so did the popularity of file sharing software like Napster. Although the use of such file-sharing software to download non-copyrighted material is not illegal, the propensity was for users to download copyrighted materials ("File Sharing"). For the last few years, the legalities of file sharing have made the issue one of the central debates. Record companies and musicians argue on both sides of the issue. Most, however, feel that unauthorized music downloads infringe on their livelihood and have negatively affected the profitability of the music industry as a whole. However, this may not be true."
Abstract This paper examines how the recent development of computers, the Internet, and music compression technologies, such as MP3, have given a totally new dimension to music privacy and how free music downloads and the exchange of music files over the Internet has reached such daunting proportions that the music industry considers it the single biggest threat to its very survival. It discusses whether downloading of music from the Internet should be unrestricted and free by looking at both sides of the issue. While doing so, recent court cases about music piracy in the United States and Australia are also examined.
Outline
The Beginnings of Music Downloads on the Internet
The Napster Lawsuit and Its Aftermath
Current Scale of Internet Music Downloads
Ethics of Free Music Downloads
Arguments For and Against
Recent US and Australian Court Cases
Conclusion
From the Paper "Napster attracted the ire of the music recording industry, which filed lawsuits (A&M Records Inc. et al versus Napster) against the company in the US courts in 2001. A Californian district court ruled against Napster, ordering it to close its file-transferring service. Ultimately, the ninth circuit appeal's court upheld the decision of the district court against Napster in 2001. On appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision in a landmark ruling in 2002 that forced Napster to close down its file-transferring Website and file for bankruptcy. (?Napster Lawsuit,? 2002 Findlaw) The court ruling, however, was far from a death-blow to the free downloading business on the Internet as there were a number of grey areas in the court's ruling that did not lift the cloud of confusion about the application of copyright laws on the Internet."
Abstract This paper explains that Beethoven studied under Joseph Haydn, the "father of the string quartet," who inspired Beethoven's first six string quartets, including Opus 18/6, written for two violins, a viola, and a cello. The author points out that, because of his troubled personal life, his music often depicts a theme of struggle followed by triumph as is evident in Beethoven's first six string quartets, which were composed before he went deaf. The paper describes each of the four distinct movements of String Quartet Number 6, Opus 18/6: 1. Allegro con brio; 2. Adagio ma non troppo; 3. Scherzo: Allegro; and 4. La Malincona Adagio-Allegretto quasi Allegro. A listening chart for the First Movement is included.
From the Paper "Beethoven began composing string quartets in his so-called "early period," the time of his musical career in which he was exploring different styles and primarily emulating his teacher Joseph Haydn. Moreover, Beethoven's "early period" is also the time before he began to go deaf, around age 30. When Beethoven began losing his hearing, his impending deafness led the musician into deep mental depression. His social life deteriorated and he became suicidal as well. Music written during Beethoven's "middle period" is characteristically grand, expressing "heroism and struggle.""
Abstract Today's pop culture is more heavily based on music than ever before in history. The advent of music videos and the Internet has made music one of the most prevalent features in society. One of the most omnipresent genres of music today is hip-hop. No longer simply an underground form of urban music, hip-hop today is utterly pervasive in the global youth community. What began as a means of expression for the disenfranchised blacks of the South Bronx area has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry that influences every thing from prime time television to fashion (Taylor) to the way an entire subculture thinks, speaks, and feels. No matter what corner of the globe, if music videos are played. and CDs are sold, hip-hop has had an impact on that society The question then becomes whether that impact has been positive or negative. This paper explores one of the most successful hip-hop artists, Eminem, in an attempt to answer this question. A brief historical synopsis of hip-hop is given, as well as an overview of Eminem. From there, the media's take on Eminem is explored, along with his effect on today's youth. Finally, other hip-hop artists are presented, and the paper shows how they too have affected an entire generation of global youth.
From the Paper "Eminem falls into the sub-genre of hip hop music deemed "gangsta rap". As Haugen notes, this style of hip hop music that has made Eminem such a success, uses drugs, guns, crime (such as: murder, robbery, rape, etc.), and promiscuous sex to display a "gangsta" image, to the listener. The challenge with Eminem's music is that his portrayal of these societal ills as "cool" affects his millions of fans, who happen to be primarily youth. These youth are not equipped with the reasoning skills (McCrillis) to determine on their own that these are inappropriate behaviors, and as such accept them as normal and eventually, right."
Abstract This paper looks at the short but brilliant life of the famous composer, Mozart. It discusses how his family upbringing impacted his talent and looks at some of his many musical achievements. The writer concludes by examining the impact of Mozart's music today.
From the Paper "Mozart composed every sort of work presented in his day: symphonies, operas, chamber music, minuets, sacred music. Despite that, and the lasting value, Mozart was given only a cheap funeral when he died, and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave; his body has never been located (Krantz, undated). But his contributions to music are gargantuan, and still vibrant. Today, his work is also regarded as a catalyst to intellectual pursuits, with albums of his works issued specifically to be played to enhance brain function; a quick tour of any large music store will probably reveal 'brain enhancing' collections of Mozart. But his major contribution to music itself is this: Mozart was, by many, considered to be "the central pivotal point in the music of Europe," a man who created "the bridge...between the old world of music and the modern world of music" (Ardoin, 1989)."
Abstract This paper explains that the origin of the Beatles was the union of Paul McCartney and John Lennon in a band called "The Quarry Men," later to be joined by George Harrison, and finally, Ringo Starr. The author points out that Beatlemania began after an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964, and, the following year, the Beatles were made "Members of the Order of the British Empire," an award honoring those who are deserving either for achievement or service to the country. The paper relates that, at the top of their career, the Beatles began to unravel upon the death of their manager, Brian Epstein; the stress of fame and fortune was beginning to show on the group and, in 1969, "Abbey Road" was their last album to be recorded.
From the Paper "Rock and roll has created a culture like no other form of music ever before experienced on this planet. It has permeated through cultures so diverse that one would think they would never have anything in common. Yet, rock and roll knows geographic boundaries. It knows no language barriers. And, it knows truly no age restrictions. Rock and roll has become more universal then any other music form ever developed."
An evaluation of the Theodor Adorno/Walter Benjamin debate surrounding popular music and mass culture and its bearing on the debates of other major musicologists and sociologists in the field.
Abstract This paper outlines the opposing standpoints of Adorno and Benjamin on popular music, with specific reference to their view of the consumer. The value of these theories are then discussed with reference to the later theories of David Riesman and Henry Pleasants, Andrew Chester, Simon Frith, Richard Middleton and Max Paddison.
From the Paper "Yet, even if the consumer's perceptive capacity is limited, there is still scope for individual choice, and thus for varying levels of the self-reflective in popular music. If consumers use their music to construct their identity, there will always be a market for these varying levels. As Frith suggests, 'the question should be 'how can popular music construct people?'' A reflection of the person behind the consumer in popular music rejects Adorno's claim that the industry invalidates the individual. Longhurst and Shuker explore this further in their analyses of the industry's sub-cultures, which allow mass identity to segregate and the potential for the individual to find their own route."
Abstract The paper takes a close look at the life of Don McLean, singer, songwriter and performer. In particular, it examines his hit song "American Pie" which was released with great success in the autumn of 1971. The paper attempts to dissect the lines of the song, relating them to specific events in history and exploring the deeper meaning of the lyrics.
From the Paper "Both Don McLean and American Pie fit into the cultural scene of the early 1970s because of the song's lyrics. McLean continually laments the loss of danceable music after the deaths of Buddy Holly, the "Big Bopper," and Ritchie Valens. He gives negative images of the music created by groups such as the Beatles who was not danced to as music had been in the 1950s. The lyrics in the song "We all got up to dance, oh, but we never got the chance" refer to the Beatles' Candlestick Park concert in 1966. McLean complains that not only did the concert last for a short thirty-five minutes, but also one couldn't dance to the music anyway (Kulawiec, 2000)."
Abstract This paper describes the musical styles and influences of three of the greatest 20th Century composers: Claude Debussy, Duke Ellington and John Cage. The paper examines the innovations of each composer and cites examples of their work.
From the Paper "The works of Claude Debussy represent a transition from the late Romantic era in music to music of the 20th century. His unique musical language veered away from the style of Wagner with its heavy emotion. Instead Debussy wrote..."
Abstract In this paper, the writer studies the life and the musical development of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. The writer looks at Coltrane's early life and his musical beginnings. The writer discusses Coltrane's search for new modes of expression. The writer notes Coltrane's position as an avant-garde leader and examines the influence of religion on his work.
From the Paper "One of modern jazz's most innovative musicians, tenor saxophonist John Williams Coltrane, commonly called Trane, died a couple of months before ..... yet his influence remains as profound after his death as in his lifetime. His greatness comes from his search for new modes of expression as well as his masterful musicianship. Starting in the bebop style he reshaped modern jazz as a leader in the avant-garde with his later free form style and modal improvisation. John Coltrane's life was based ... "
Abstract In this article the writer discusses the roots and characteristics of bebop. The writer provides a brief history of the origins of jazz. This history includes information regarding R. & B., swing, and Rock n' Roll. The writer examines the role of minority artists in creating bebop.
From the Paper "The roots of jazz extend back to Africa, the slave trade and the musical alterations and blends that took place in what is now the United States. The music of blacks, whites, Hispanics and possibly even the indigenous peoples of North America was combined into folk styles, known as blues or gospel, played initially almost exclusively by African American musicians in the South. It was distinguished by syncopated rhythms and the use of bent tones known as blues notes in both vocals and instrumentals."
Abstract This paper studies how the Beatles, arguably the most popular and influential band of the 20th century, changed throughout its career. Given the magnitude of influence the Beatles's had on the music scene during the 1960s and 1970s, the paper can also be seen as a biography of rock during those decades as well. The paper offers a year-by-year analysis of the Beatles, from their beginnings in 1957, when John Lennon started the Quarrymen. The paper offers critiques of songs and albums, explaining how each they represent what was going on with the band and its members.
From the Paper "No one knew that what started out as a shabby little tavern band created by John Lennon in 1957, would lead to a world changing, record shattering, generation captivating phenomena known today as The Beatles. Culturally I have never experienced anything like The Beatles. By the time I was seven, I was sitting listening to Beatles albums on my mom's old record player, and this was several years after The Beatles had split up. Their music defined a generation and influenced every one that followed."
