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In every century and in every musical style, there have been very few true artists and a large number of musical manufacturers. The former create art; the latter make products.
In a heavily commercialized industry such as rock music, one can be sure that works of art will be few and far between. Most of what we hear is mere product. Many composers, performers, and engineers have learned the technical skill necessary to manufacture a marketable musical product.
So beware when rock musicians attempt to hide behind "artistic freedom." In most cases, they are merely successful manufacturers of a product. As such, they have the same responsibilities to society that manufacturers of automobiles, cigarettes, and lawn mowers have.
But is not artistic freedom necessary for the creation of true art? Artists create masterpieces within the boundaries imposed upon him or her. Whether such limitations are set by the church, the state, the employer, or the society as a whole, art can and has flourished within boundaries.
This course seeks to help the student develop his or her ability to critically evaluate various contributors in the Rock and Roll tradition and place important musical examples in their historical context.
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The assignments are 1200-1500 words, double-spaced and can be submitted up
to, and including, April 1. Please include a title page with the assignment
title,
your name, course and date. There are five possible assignments, and some,
like the first one, contain options. Please choose one of the following assignments.
1. Write a report on a live concert that you attend during this semester. While there is a broad range of concerts you can attend the concert must have the instructor’s approval.
Whatever concert or musical event you choose to attend, you will be participating in and observing a social situation in which music is an integral part. Rather than focus solely on the music presented (the sound), you should regard the entire event as the subject of inquiry. You might want to make use of a simple version of the model the late Alan Merriam offers in his book The Anthropology of Music. He recommends examining all music from a three-point perspective: 1) as sound, 2) as concept, 3) as behaviour.
The following questions, organized according to Merriam's three concerns, should help you focus your observations. As you organize your thoughts, consider how your perspective on these concerns might change depending on whether you view them from the standpoint of the performer, the audience (or any participant), or the organizer(s).
Music as Sound
- What music is presented? (styles, repertoire - i.e. selections of works or songs)?
- How do the musical selections performed compare to examples discussed in class and in your text? Make specific comparisons, mentioning titles of works, composers, and relevant characteristics.
- Does the music encourage certain kinds of behaviour?
Music as Concept
- Why do you think the performers have chosen the repertoire performed?
- Why do you think the organizers have chosen these performers, this music, this locale?
- Does this music, or its location, or the audience (or any combination of these conditions) project a particular attitude or perspective?
Music as Behaviour
- How do people (all categories) act at this event?
- Who interacts with whom and when? (performers among themselves, performers with other participants, participants among each other, etc.)
- What role does the music play in encouraging (or discouraging) interaction? (dancing, sitting, etc.)
- Does there appear to be any prescribed or expected behaviours (rules)?
- What role does the locale play in determining musical behaviour?
- Are there important props for this event? (printed material, decorations, etc.) How do people respond to them?
- How are people dressed? Does their dress match other features of the event?
2. Analyzing Music Charts
Select a chart from either Billboard or Rolling Stone magazine prior to 1990. Search online to identify all of the performers listed on the charts (soloists & bands). Identification includes: names; musical responsibilities (e.g. lead singer, drummer, MC, etc.), gender; sexual orientation; ethnicity/race; nationality; anything else you think is needed to understand the musicians on your chart. Construct a spreadsheet to display your information, which should include descriptive stats on who does what (e.g. x performers on chart; y% are exclusively singers; z% are women; aa% are women who play instruments; etc.) Reflect on one of the acts from your music chart (soloists or whole bands). Explain how the performer(s) you’ve chosen to discuss fit into their socio-historical musical context.
3. Rent This is Spinal Tap . This movie is a mock documentary and is intended to be satirical. Satire is an intelligent and imaginative reframing of experience, with the intent of detonating, through laughter and scorn, the prejudices of complacency or consensus. Who are some of the bands or individuals being satirized in this film and how is the satire achieved?
4. "Artists who demand freedom from record labels go on to produce rubbish." Agree or disagree.
Alexis Petridis, "The Day the Music Dies," The Guardian Wednesday 4 Feb 2004.
5. "One advantage Seattle has is our geographical isolation. It gave a group of artists a chance to create their own sound, instead of feeling pressured to copy others." Bruce Pavitt, co-founder of the alternative-oriented SubPop label. Discuss the effect of geographical isolation in Canadian rock music and the possible existence of Canadian "sound".
Bruce Pavitt qtd. in Murray Forman, "'Represent': Race, Space and Place in Rap Music," Popular Music 19.1 (2000): 86.
6. "As urban music has assumed a place of commercial pre-eminence , its artistic horizons have been steadily narrowed by a wicked cocktail of assembly-line production aesthetics, fearful executives, and audiences that demand gratification within a song's first 30 seconds." – Vernon Reid, founder of the '80s black alternative rock band Living Colour. Discuss.
Tom Moon, "Black in the Box," The Philadelphia Inquirer Monday 19 July 2004.
7. "I ain't had no influences. Everybody tried to sound like me, but I don't sound like nobody. I'm self-taught." – Bo Diddley. Discuss the part played by influential role models and the adherence to stylistic norms. Compare this with the need for innovation and self-reliance in rock music.
Bo Diddley qtd. in Robert Fontenot, Jr., "Backtalk with Bo Diddley," offBEAT 6.99 (1999).
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