Abstract This paper addresses the role of the modernmusic industry and its refusal to recognize that mp3 file sharing is not a threat but rather is the next generation of music. This paper takes the position that these companies should embrace this new technology in order to benefit from its use rather that continuing to fight against it.
Abstract This paper examines how the development of blues in the first half of the 20th century paved the way for the musical styles of modernmusic. In order to understand these influences, it breaks them down into the five main categories of country and rockabilly, early rhythm and blues (R&B), British rock, American rock, and punk rock.
From the Paper "Early blues has also influenced rockabilly. Rockabilly is the basic fusion of rock and roll and country blues. Around 1965 a new group was forming on the west side of Jacksonville, Florida. A pair of brothers named Lacey and Ronnie VanZant started Lynyrd Skynyrd, a roughed-up group of high school students who did their best to rebel against societies standards. Ronnie and Lacey grew up singing in the all black choir at their church as well as sitting on the porch of Shorty Medlocke's house listening to him play his raucous "swamp country" blues. They also both remember listening to the AM radio in their father's old diesel truck when they would go on trips up and down the Eastern Seaboard (American). They pooled these styles together to form the sound for which they became famous."
Abstract An examination of Nietzsche's philosophies of music which are still applicable today, and can be seen as the foundation of modernmusic theory. Nietzsche extensively employed the terms "Dionysian" and "Apollonian" in his conjectures about music. These are terms that are in reference to Plato and his suppositions about simple, ordered and unassuming music (Apollonian) versus irrational, anarchic, chaotic music (Dionysian).
From the Paper "German Philosopher/Musician/Composer, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was particularly interested in what he believed to have been the higher quality of life that prevailed in certain periods of history, such as the Italian renaissance, the classic era of the Greeks, and Moorish civilizations in Spain. While most art forms were included under a single umbrella in Nietzsche's philosophies, he wrote extensively about music and musicians as a unique and separate entity."
Tags: apollonian, dionysian, friedrich, history, music, philosophy, theory
Abstract This paper examines the Hollywood western in Hollywood's modern period. To illustrate the changing nature of cinema and how the western reflected this, two films are shown to be exemplary of the times: "Cat Ballou" and "The Wild Bunch." The two movies are analyzed based on the trends that they set and by how far they broke away from the mold set by classical Hollywood cinema.
From the Paper "In Hollywood's modernist period, filmmakers were finding that the western was becoming something of an anachronsim. The dichotomous view of good and evil, savage minority characters, insistence upon high moral standards, and strict codes of conduct are just a few elements that typified the genre but didn't help its cause in the face of a society in flux. In the face of the Vietnam war and revolutions in both sexuality and civil rights, could people really identify with the genre anymore? Hollywood's solution to the western problem was one that typified the modernist period: they experimented, taking the genre in directions that it had never gone before. What we see in two exemplary modernist westerns, Cat Ballou and The Wild Bunch, is intense experimentation within the myth, conventions, and iconography of its predecessors. By doing so, the two films allow their viewers to gain uncanny insights into both how grounded the classical and post classical westerns were in terms of genre, and to what degree the modern period was able to successfully able to break away."
Abstract This paper explores how music and the theatre have always worked together for as long as humanity has engaged in staging productions. It shows that music has played a part, sometimes minor, sometimes major, in many theatrical productions; however, since the late nineteenth century with the birth of the modernmusical theater it has continued to gain importance and social relevance. The writer shows that as they gained in popularity, musicals became an entertaining forum for discussing relevant social issues, depicting the plights and victories of modern Western society.
From the Paper "The first musical comedies began to emerge in the 1880?s, thanks to a pair called Harrigan and Hart. They were the owners of the Theatre Comique on lower Broadway. Unlike the Extravaganzas of the previous decade, Harrigan and Hart's musical comedies began to stir up some social awareness. Many of the comedies that were staged on Broadway took place in the dishevelled streets of Manhattan, with characters reflecting the lives of those who lived and worked there. While the productions certainly took a comical viewpoint, the audience was very aware of the reality of the situation."
Abstract In this paper the author looks at what Guillaume Dufay's music meant in terms of music history. The author starts with a look at the Gregorian chant from Medieval times which was the main form of sacred music, how it developed and what it gave to modernmusic. The paper continues with a look at the other forms of music that have developed over the years and contributed to the work of Guillaume Dufay. In particular the author highlights the development of church music in the Renaissance period which, as he points out was the basis for Dufay's music compositions. The author discusses the life and works of Dufay's music as a move towards a clearly defined tonal and functional harmonic structure. The author believes that this helped prepare one of the most important stylistic developments in music of the following century. In conclusion the author reminds us that we are lucky to have the musical pieces that have been curated and restored. A number of Dufay's as well as other composers from that era had masterpieces destroyed because of the political climate.
Outline:
Table of Contents
Introduction
Gregorian Chant
Motet
Troubadour Influence
The Development of Musical Notation
Polyphony
Machaut
Guillaume Dufay a Biography
Dufay's Music Dufay and Faux-bourdon
Dufay's Motets
Conclusion
From the Paper "Dufay began composing at a time when musical style was in a period of relative stability and changing that style was not readily accepted. Dufay cannot be thought of as one of the great revolutionaries in Western music; the term 'originality' in the classic sense of the word was not familiar to him. This is not to say, however, that Dufay was in any way lacking of originality or he was in any way reactionary. Quite to the contrary, he played an integral role in the development of faux-bourdon and the cyclic mass. He was one of the first composers to handle four-voice texture with any kind of convincing skill before the end of the 15th century. Furthermore, his attempt to move towards a clearly defined tonal and functional harmonic structure helped prepare one of the most important stylistic developments of the following century. Dufay's works and compositions have come to be known as the supremely polished works of a long period of slow and serene stylistic change."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of Celtic music and its migration to the Appalachian region of North America. The author points out the cultural memory embedded in the Celtic tradition. The paper examines the impact of Celtic music on musical styles of the modern period.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine connections between Celtic music, which originated in Britain, chiefly Scotland and Ireland, and which migrated to the U.S., chiefly to the Appalachian region of North America and the intergenerational aspects of musical heritage with reference to the human-development theories of Erik Erikson. The plan of the research will be to set forth a history of Celtic music from its origins in Britain and the history of migration of the music to the U.S. and then discuss the resonance that such music ..."
Tags: Celtic, Music, Appalachian, music, American, music
Abstract This qualitative study seeks to examine the hip-hop dance form ethnologically and from the anthropological view, through administration of a survey/questionnaire and a review of peer-reviewed literature. This study finds that hip-hop is interwoven throughout the very fabric of modern media, music and art and is an integral expression in societal interaction and expression. Hip-hop is modern and yet primitive and will be around for many years to come.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Objective
Introduction
Research Questions
Research Instruments
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Literature Review
Discussion
Conclusions
Bibliography
From the Paper "The respondents to the data collection instrument (survey-questionnaire) were asked what was it that influenced them in listening to hip-hop music. The answers given were affirmations that imitation in society is alive and well in the present day. Because the hip-hop radio stations were readily available, the respondents state that this exposure was key in their music influences at an early age. When asked what influenced the respondents in their preference of the hip-hop dance form the answers given in unison stating that MTV was an influence and stating that imitation was the beginning of this dance form adoption by the respondents."
Abstract This paper rejects the idea that a post-modern culture is not valid outside of America. It discusses the origins of the Post-Modern theory and the theorists who write/talk about it at length. The paper also explores the presence of different forms of post-modern culture outside of America including in architecture and music.
From the Paper "What is postmodern culture? Postmodern culture is the blurring of lines between what is real and what is simulated, it the ever increasing intextuality of our lives ? the inextricable binding of the media, mass culture and daily life. In postmodern society there is "an incredulity towards meta narratives" (Lyotard 2004) "and truth is what we invent, not what we discover" (Spender 2004). Postmodern culture is present in every Westernised society, its relevance is global; American society and culture provide excellent examples of the extent to which postmodern culture exists but it is not alone in postmodernity."
Tags: baudrillard, eco, jean, umberto, media, architechture, music
Abstract This paper looks at how Beethoven brought to the art of music new depths of expressiveness that were not known before his time and also brought new richness of speech to every instrument for which he wrote his symphonies and other musical pieces. In essence, it explains how Beethoven was highly influential in bringing modernity to the art of music and could definitely be seen as a heroic figure in Western music due to his bravery and desire to explore new musical domains.
From the Paper "Beethoven's artistic career seems to have greatly expanded during his second period of creativity. Between 1803 and 1804, a period accentuated by his deafness which seems to have affected his musical output very little, Beethoven produced sonatas for violin and piano and the famous Eroica Symphony, not to mention composing the Fourth, the Fifth and the Pastoral symphonies, the opera Fidelio, the Rasumovsky Quartets, the Fourth and Fifth piano concertos and the Violin concerto. With these works, the musical form was raised to its highest point of development, but more importantly, Beethoven had refined and enriched his own music to where it was now imbued with lyrical poetry, much like the heroic motifs in such poems as "Don Juan" and "Manfred" by Lord Byron. As George R. Marek notes, Beethoven's music during this second period "was marked by heroic elements that were sonorous, pure and simple, but also contained abstract ideas that made it possible for the further development of harmonic music" (58)."
Abstract This paper discusses how the modern African American musical experience is rooted in ancient times. These roots go back to ancient Egypt and their conquests of the Nubians. The paper further discusses how the language of African tribes is tonal and one word might have several meanings in different tones. The talking drums of several countries mimic this quality of language. Despite the reputation of being a simply aural and oral musical tradition, African tribal music actually did have a complex local style of musical notation available to it.
From the Paper " The musical history of any region is important. African music has taken on an even greater significance due to its importance not only to its country of origin, but also due to its importance in the countries to which it spread. African American music has its roots in tribal cultures. It has lent its influence not only to African American popular culture, but to religion as well. Tribal Music The ancient history of African music is confused at best. It is undoubtedly conflated with the music of the Old Kingdom Egyptian music, when Egypt dominated and colonized the Nubians (Hester, 2005, p. 1). Hester comments that "surprisingly, the history of Egyptian music presents little evidence of the use of drums prior to 2000 B.C." (2005, p. 1). "
Abstract This paper discusses music and musical artists who had an impact on culture. The paper explains how music can translate into a promotion of capitalism, a criticism of capitalist society or, at worst, a hypocritical stance about the relation between capitalism and the Third World. The paper discusses how music expresses the truth in complex ways so that it often is difficult to identify authentic motivations. The paper maintains that it is acceptable to implement any intention as long as it is achieved implicitly.
From the Paper "The concept of mediation refers to the circulation of meaning. According to Silverstone (1999), mediation is similar to translation in that it is never satisfactory because it cannot ever be precise. The metaphor of translation illustrates just what a small proportion of our musical experience happens to be immediate, but instead is produced, managed, and staged. The reason for this is that the media are "prophylactically social in so far as they have become substitutes for the ordinary uncertainties of everyday interaction" (Silverstone, 1999, p. 3)."
Abstract This paper relates that, in her book "Hole in our Soul", which traces the origins of truly 'American' music back to the early days of New Orleans jazz and Chicago blues, Martha Bayles decries what she perceives to be the growing threat of musical perversity. The author contends that, while Bayles provides some compelling evidence, her thesis is too sweeping a generalization to take seriously. The paper concludes that, although the book is an excellent read, Bayles seems to be just another cranky elder criticizing anything new at all.
From the Paper "When hip-hop took off though, after Sugar Hill's release of "Rapper's Delight," rap moved to the studio. There, alterations, lining-up tracks with samples, and other such technical feats were simple enough, and while they did require skill - it was not always musical skill that was required. Along with this, Bayles tell us, came the computerized and synthesized beats and rhythms that are supposedly plaguing modern music in general (ever since disco). The worst part of modern rap though, is the breaking from traditional Afro-American values and the introduction of obscenity and profanity and downright disgustingness as a major part of black rap."
Tags:modernism, profanity, backlash, afro-american, british
Abstract Many horror movies musical techniques are discussed in this paper. The writer shows how this music effects the audience's viewing experience and builds up hype and expectations. Different styles are discussed - creepy, tense, supernatural, fear etc.
From the Paper "To fully utilize sound in a film it must be more than just neat sound effects added in as an after thought. The first crews to utilize this new mind set was the ever famous team of Ben Burtt and Walter Murch in Star Wars and then again in Apocalypse Now. They realized that the sound shaped the picture as much as the picture shaped the sound. The result was a powerful effect that forever changed the way sound is used in a film (Thom, 1999). It takes more than loud, high fidelity, and well executed sound effects to make a great movie. The soundtrack must be integrated into the entire film as a whole. It should enhance and change as the mood changes. In this way the soundtrack becomes a valuable part of the team (Thom, 1999). Many directors overlook the potential that sound has in storytelling and often do not consider it in relation to the other elements of the film. This philosophy embraces the idea that good sound embraces and is considered by the other crafts, as well. It is not just a product of the other crafts."
Abstract This article analyzes the success of the musical film "The Sound of Music" from its introduction in 1965 to its high popularity in modern times. The author concludes that the continued popularity of the film has been largely determined by a small and enthusiastically devout alternative audience's demands, rather than by the sustained appeal of the factors which made for its dramatic commercial success in 1965.
From the Paper "According to Rohrer's BBC News article, Joe Heaney (arts editor of the Gay Times) believes that "Maria's transformation is key to the story's enduring popularity" (Heaney, cited in Rohrer "BBC News Magazine"). Heaney adds that the film is "about someone who is a complete outsider, she has been living in a convent and is very afraid to live in the real world and yet she is able to conquer her fears" (Heany, cited in Rohrer "BBC News Magazine"). "
Tags: oscar winner, Von Trapp family, Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein musical score
