Abstract This paper presents an examination of music piracy on the internet. The writer explores the various views on its occurrence and what is being done to stop it. The writer also discusses the affects piracy has on the United States music industry including what various artists have been saying about its occurrence. The examination focuses on the affect the Internet is having on the piracy industry in the music field.
From the Paper "The technological explosion of the last few decades has taken mankind to heights it never dreamed possible. Today, with the click of a mouse one can trade stocks, plan vacations and purchase the fares, chat with others around the world, play online games, research any topic they choose and many other things. The world of technology and the advent of the Internet have expanded the ability of knowledge, and self help beyond anything in history has done. It is an exciting time for those who use it and it is something that continues to improve with each passing year. The internet has opened doors that used to be only dreamed of, but the enlightenment the Internet provides comes with a price. Because it is so new to the world there are several areas of legal issue that have not been decided and are currently under fire. One of the most controversial topics of the internet debate is that of ownership. When one puts an idea out on the net who owns it? This question has created tension and turmoil in many fields including literature, litigation and music. Music has long since been at the forefront of controversy when it comes to the internet and its abilities because of the ease with which it allows in music piracy. Front page news accounts detail the rise and fall of companies such as Napster and others that made a huge profit on the willingness of consumers to commit music piracy. Music piracy on the internet has become a multi-million dollar venture and the artists, their agents and the attorneys they hire are constantly working to shut down its existence."
Abstract This paper shows how music has been combined with drama and dance throughout history and across cultures. The writers takes Tchaikovsky's western-influenced ballets and compares them to the very dissimilar traditional Japanese Kabuki music. Some similarities are drawn that show how different cultures appreciate and embody the inherent drama in music. The paper includes backgrounds of Tchaikovsky, Japanese Kabuki in an historical setting, as well as full descriptions of the music. The last paragraph compares/contrasts the two, while drawing overarching conclusions about the universality of music.
From the Paper "Since its birth, music has never been segregated out as "pure music" as the modern term now implies, with no implications attached to the sounds themselves. More often than not, there is always some sort of abstract connection made to the music, whether it is an evocation of a program, a tool for communication, a symbol of power, or a means of connecting with the spirit or the supernatural. Often, music will be used to tell a story, because of its ability to create atmosphere, manipulate moods, and even imitate concrete sounds. This ability leads to the creation of music in many categories?namely music with drama, and programmatic music. Drama and music have been combined since ancient times, in the form of accompaniment or incidental music to theatrical works, or as in Western Europe, operas and ballets. Wagner himself termed his operas "music dramas", but his was definitely not the first, nor the last great marriage of the two arts. For instance, since before the seventeenth century in Japan, an art combining music, acting and dance called Kabuki has flourished. Kabuki stems from other Japanese forms called Noh and Bunraku, but whereas these two forms combine music and drama of sorts, Kabuki is by far the most lavish, and is a combination of these other two forms. Besides exhibiting far greater orchestral forces, there is also a strong emphasis on the dance. Likewise, across the continent at about the same time an art of schooled dance began in the courts in France, culminating to what we now know as ballet. Ballet itself was often found in segments of operas, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth century it became fashionable to create full-length story ballets, consisting of purely music and dancers telling a story. A prime example of the apotheosis of the ballet genre would be Tchaikovsky's popular ballets, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Thus, the idea of music supporting dramatic action can be evidenced in both Japanese Kabuki, and Tchaikovsky's ballets, although both display as many striking differences as similarities."
From the Paper "Analysis of the Napster lawsuit. Downloading music files. File-sharing program vs. copywright laws and non-payment of royalties. Issue of intellectual property rights in an era of the personal computer and the Internet. Response of film and music industries and musicians. Viewpoint of the major companies of the music industry. Consumer issues. Peer-to-peer networking and file sharing."
Abstract Discusses music classes as a valuable educational tool & important element of the curriculum. Compares two films that celebrate the power of music in education and positive impact on music students: MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS & MUSIC OF THE HEART. The first film is a long-term look at a composer-turned teacher & his successes as a music teacher in a suburban school. The second, based on a real-life situation, depicts the obstcles & success of a teacher who brought music classes to an urban minority school.
From the Paper "The two films Mr. Holland's Opus and Music of the Heart have certain similarities as well as considerable differences, but at heart, each celebrates the power of music in education and the need to support the arts in the educational setting for the benefit of all students. Inherent in this idea is the view that music is valuable in itself, but at the same time, it is seen as a force that empowers the student who studies it and plays it, a force for developing self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. The study of music and the other arts is often depicted as if it were a frill, but the teachers who are the main characters in each of these films shows that it is not a frill at all but a central educational tool that helps students with other subjects and makes them better students all round.
The films take place in different worlds both in time and..."
Abstract Zydeco is an important musical genre and the writer defines it as fun, upbeat dance music from southern Louisiana; characterized by scrub board and thimbles, spoons (metal or wooden), fiddle, triangles, accordion and occasionally a horn or two. This paper discusses its unique origins, the impact it has had on other music forms and the what the future holds for Zydeco followers. The paper looks at the types of people who follow Zydeco music and some of its major artists.
From the Paper "The reason this genre of music is not wide spread is very simple: the French Creole dialect. Most people cannot understand the lyrics because they are generally written and performed in French Creole (Kein, 41). This dialect was very prominent in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Louisiana and surrounding areas by African-American descendants and a few white settlers in rural areas (Kein, 133). After the Louisiana Purchase, English became more prevalent and French Creole died out except in rural areas and was passed down from parent to child and so on(Kein 56). Today, English is more often than not is the primary language used in Zydeco with hints of the Creole heritage."
Abstract This paper reviews the band's third album, Raising Hell. It gives reasons why the album, and the band itself, is one of the all-time greatest. It talks about heavy rhyme sequences, vocal percussions, b-boy bravado and the band's crossover to mainstream audiences.
From the Paper "To me, Run DMC is one of the best hip hop groups. This trio is responsible for the sound and style of hip hop music in the 1980?s. They paved the way for everyone else in the hip-hop game. No hip-hop act received major radio or video play until Run DMC came about. This trio set standards for the next decade of hip-hop.
All three member of Run DMC are natives of middle-class New York, borough, Hollis, Queens. James Moore of All Music Guide states, "Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniel) formed a rap duo while in high school. After graduating from high school in 1982, the pair enlisted their friend, Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) to scratch turntables" (Moore 2)."
Abstract This essay explores the development of black society and culture in the United States as a result of the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, liberation and anti-black sentiment in the South. The paper also deals with the different styles of jazz and the emergence of each these styles.
From the Paper "Segregation is a marvelous thing. Not only does it isolate one group of people from normal society, it slaps them with inferior rights and social standing. Ever since the 1500s, when Europeans colonized the New World using African-American slaves, blacks have always been viewed as lesser subjects who were intellectually and emotionally inferior to whites and therefore whites subjected them to harsh second-class treatment1. Life progressed for a few hundred years and, even after the Civil War, blacks were still in the same second-class society that they started in since the beginning on slavery. Only now, there were 4.5 million more of them and they resided in black communities located in large Northern cities instead of smaller Southern plantations2. These black communities, separated from white communities, became breeding grounds for cultural development and by the late 19th century, significant tides of black artists, musicians, and writers were present in them. By the 20th century, African-American culture was an integral part of American society, ubiquitous in many forms in Eastern urban cities and, after World War I, rural Southern and Western locations.3 Without segregation, however, and under ideal circumstances, blacks would have become integrated and unnoticeable with white culture (just like how America's youth, no matter what race, is so culturally indistinguishable). However, since blacks were in fact segregated from whites for say 300 something years, they were able to develop their own culture, with many aspects almost uninfluenced by white culture."
Abstract Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote nearly 500 concertos of various types, composed at least 50 operas and other vocal and instrumental pieces by the score, strongly influenced the direction of violin technique and was a primary influence on Johann Sebastian Bach. The paper shows, however, that for two centuries after his death, Vivaldi and his music sank into oblivion and were only resurrected in the latter half of the twentieth century. Despite this long absence, Vivaldi's reputation has revived swiftly. Although his vocal works and other instrumental pieces are not, as yet, well known, his concertos such as "Le Stagione" ("The Four Seasons"), are among the most popular of all Baroque and classic music today. The paper traces Vivaldi's life and music career and discusses several of his works.
From the Paper "The works in L'estro armonico represented the concerto form "at its most balanced and typical moment" with only three retaining the old-fashioned slow movement at the beginning and the others in the quick-slow-quick form pioneered by Torelli (Palisca 165). Vivaldi wrote at least thirty concertos that retained this older form and, as Talbot notes, they were very often connected by title with the feast-day requirements of the Pietא which seems to indicate that Vivaldi may have hoped "to add an extra touch of grandeur and solemnity by reverting to the four-movement cycle of the church sonata" (145). But, unlike the more sober magnificence of a Corelli concerto grosso or even Torelli's three-movement solo concertos, all of Vivaldi's writing in these early concertos unleashed a "torrent of emotions" that was "unlike anything ever written or at least published before" (Landon 43)."
Abstract McClary brings the idea that during the early nineteenth century, concepts such as identity and masculinity were being newly defined, with art being one of the defining processes. This paper introduces some examples from art of this period, looking at the commentary of McClary to illustrate this theory. According to the paper, it is difficult for readers and listeners to separate the biographical details of the artist from the work.
From the Paper "Schubert, on the other hand, was not a well-known composer in his own time. By the time his work became open to criticism, Beethoven's work so dominated the critical mind as the epitome of German manhood that critical response to Schubert's work was labeled feminine. If Beethoven's directness, violence, and ferocity in his music was male, surely Schubert's flexibility and lack of tonal anchoring, engendering sympathy and attraction, were female. At least, this was the way critics of the period viewed the difference."
Abstract This paper offers an explanation into what the meaning of music is and in what ways it influences and impacts our lives. It looks at music as a form of entertainment, discussing various genres of music. It also looks at the religious purpose of music and how it is used in ceremonies of faith. It looks at the history of the development of music and the music industry - how music is now used in business and advertisement. It also analyzes the new forms of technology available in the music industry which assist in spreading every type of music throughout the world - the globalization of music.
From the Paper "Perhaps one of the most difficult definitions is "What exactly is music" ?The genesis of music, even more than other forms of history, is wrapped in obscurity. The reason for this becomes plain when as soon as one reflects upon the materials of which music is fabricated.? (Wilm 1940 p. 1) It is easy to describe the materials of art and architecture- wood, or stone, marble, oils canvas, bricks and mortar. Literature and poetry are formed by words. But, what is music? Some sort of tone or rhythm literally on air waves. No one really has figured out when the first rudimentary instruments were invented. Was it Cave Man, serenading his family? Was it a hunter, blowing on a shell to alert his fellows of meat on the hoof? There simply is no specific origin of tones and rhythms which define what music is to the listener. What we DO know, of course, is that there are so many different types of music- music which has changed through the ages just as their audiences have. If Gregorian chants are music, then so is Verdi's "La Traviata", so is "White Christmas" and today's hip hop and rap music. "
Abstract This paper discusses the history and origins of the Javanese Gamelan, its debut at the Exposition Universelle that was held in Paris in 1889, and the lasting impact the Javanese Gamelan's performance had on the music of Debussy.
From the Paper "Thus, Achille-Claude Debussy emerges as one of the most innovative of modern, Western composers. His exploration and adaptation of Oriental musical forms, those of gamelan in particular, broadened the horizons of European music and opened up opportunities for a whole a range of new methods of expression. Rather than adhering to strict rules of tonality, and harmony, composers were now free to use forms that more closely matched human emotions, and the raw power of natural forces. Debussy's adoption of Javanese and other Oriental techniques was an essential part of the whole larger movement, then current, that favored looking beyond Europe, and out into the wider world for inspiration."
Abstract This paper shows that although Tango music symbolizes the idealized sophistication of high society, with men in trendy suits and women in sparkling gowns, its origin lies within the dark corners of Argentine society. It discusses its overwhelming impact on Argentina's cultural identity, society, and economy is irrefutable; and explains how it is used to channel artistic expression and to share cultural customs.
From the Paper "Music historians have traced the word "Tango" to European lineage; it is allegedly ?from the Spanish "Ta"ir?, or a deformation of the word "tambo" used by the (Spanish) colonizers.? Some believe the word was borrowed from the Portuguese ?and that it would have reappeared at the slave plantations.? (http://www.traveltango.com.ar/) Pronunciation of Tango is said to have an African origin. It ?is a phonetic deformation of the name Shango, black God of the tempets who eats fire, wears lightening bolts and speaks with thunder.? (http://www.traveltango.com.ar/)
In the Nigerian language of Nago, ?the name of that God is written Sango. The ?S? sound is not as the French CH or the English SH. Opposite to what it is usually assumed, it is similar to a Spanish S, whistling sound, so that the articulation from SANGO to TANGO is made with a minimum degree of difficulty.? (http://www.traveltango.com.ar/)
While there is no definitive birth of Tango music, there are many theories about its beginnings. It is speculated that Tango began in turn-of-the-century brothels. Valente suggests its origins lie in the dances and music of the African slave communities in the Rio de la Plata region. (Valente)"
Abstract The paper discusses the fact that the two primary influences in Schumann's life were both women; his mother and later his wife, Clara. The paper traces Schumann's entry into and influence on the world of music and focuses on the type of compositions that he wrote at different stages in his life, from Lieder to symphonies to piano concertos. The paper also touches on the periods of depression that plagued Schumann's life.
From the Paper "Schumann's music is out of the Romantic period and expresses that era's dedication to personal expression and freedom from the strict rules of classical form. As noted, he had a literary inclination in his music and would hide names spelled in notes in his works. For instance, he wrote a collection of short piano pieces called Carnaval, and two of these pieces are named "Florestan" and "Eusebius." which were pseudonyms Schumann used when he wrote in his journal. Each name and each piece reflects a different aspect of his personality--"Florestan" is flamboyant "Eusebius" is more sedate. He also often made reference to literary works or characters in titles and in the music itself."
Abstract This paper stresses that, even though Western artists are looking for new ideas when they seek Oriental input, they can only interrupt the Orient through their own Western culture. The author explains that French painter Eugene Delacroix' "Death of Sardanapalus" and Austrian artist Leopold Carl Muller's "The Market in Cairo" are examples of orientalism in Western art. The author states that the Beatles, seeking the teachings of India's gurus, brought orientalism into modern pop culture.
From the Paper "The Western World that Delacroix knew lay on the brink of the Victorian age. Painted in 1827, the Death of Sardanapalus speaks to a people already grown accustomed to the strictures of middle-class morality. As older and wilder days ended, North Americans and Europeans were already entering into a new era of strong religious devotion, clean living, and sexual repression. The wanton abandoning of oneself to pleasure like Sardanapalus seemed to be something that was still possible only within the hidden corridors of the seraglio, a place where leering, bearded despots sought freely to satisfy their carnal lusts. The fact that Sardanapalus's world is about to be consumed in fire is but a fitting moral judgment. Though he can gape at the writhing, sensuous forms of the King's doomed attendants, the European or North American man can only dream of what he cannot have ? the pleasures of the flesh are condemned hellfire."
Abstract This paper reviews the the musical styles associated with the Renaissance period, beginning ca. 1450 and ending around 1600, and the Baroque period, commencing ca. 1620 until the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750. In regard to the Renaissance style, the music was generally quite uniform in structure and depended to a great degree on polyphony in which two or more independent melodies are juxtaposed in harmony. The music of the Baroque period was stylistically varied, especially within particular pieces such as J.S. Bach.
From the Paper "Generally considered as ?Early Music,? the musical styles associated with the Renaissance period, beginning ca. 1450 and ending around 1600, and the Baroque period, commencing ca. 1620 until the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750, share numerous musical traits which according to Steven Bentham revolve around "the application of stable harmony, polyphony and the progressive movement towards humanistic orientation" 1 in contrast to the musical style of the earlier Medieval period which was dominated by liturgical chant repertories. These traits are based on specific musical structures and methods which originated with the composers of the Renaissance period and were later adopted by musicians in the Baroque era. Certain Baroque composers continued to practice the Renaissance style well."
