Popular music
Popular music |
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Timeline of musical events |
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List of popular music genres |
Popular music is
The original application of the term is to music of the 1880s
In the 2000s, with songs and pieces available as digital sound files, it has become easier for music to spread from one country or region to another. Some popular music forms have become global, while others have a wide appeal within the culture of their origin.[12] Through the mixture of musical genres, new popular music forms are created to reflect the ideals of a global culture.[13] The examples of Africa, Indonesia, and the Middle East show how Western pop music styles can blend with local musical traditions to create new hybrid styles.[clarification needed]
Definition
Folk music is a genre of music that can be classified as more rural or traditional music. Folk music is similar to oral stories as it can be passed down through generations of families and cultures.
Some sort of popular music has existed for as long as there has been an urban
Alexandria, professional entertainers have diverted and edified city dwellers with songs, marches, and dances, whose pretensions fell somewhere in between."
— Robert Christgau, in Collier's Encyclopedia (1984)[14]
Scholars have classified music as "popular" based on various factors, including whether a song or piece becomes known to listeners mainly from hearing the music (in contrast with
Anahid Kassabian separated popular music into four categories:
- "popular as populist," or having overtones of liberation and expression; see jazz, Latin music, and rhythm and blues.[17]
- "popular as folk," or stating that the music is written by the people, for the people; see country music, reggae, and gospel music.[18][19]
- "popular as counterculture," or empowering citizens to act against the oppression they face; see punk rock, heavy metal music, and hip hop music.[20]
- "popular as mass," or the music becomes the tool for oppression.[21]
A society's popular music reflects the ideals that are prevalent at the time it is performed or published.[22] David Riesman states that the youth audiences of popular music fit into either a majority group or a subculture. The majority group listens to the commercially produced styles while the subcultures find a minority style to transmit their own values.[16] This allows youth to choose what music they identify with, which gives them power as consumers to control the market of popular music.[16]
Music critic
American folk singer Pete Seeger defined pop music as "professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music".[25]
Form of Western popular music
Form in popular music is most often
The verse and chorus are considered the primary elements. Each verse usually has the same melody (possibly with some slight modifications), but the lyrics change for most verses. The chorus (or "refrain") usually has a melodic phrase and a key lyrical line which is repeated. Pop songs may have an introduction and coda ("tag"), but these elements are not essential to the identity of most songs. Pop songs that use verses and choruses often have a bridge, a section which connects the verse and chorus at one or more points in the song.[10]
The verse and chorus are usually repeated throughout a song, while the bridge, intro, and coda (also called an "outro") tend to be used only once. Some pop songs may have a solo section, particularly in rock or blues-influenced pop. During the solo section, one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer, or, in blues- or jazz-influenced pop, the solo may be improvised based on the chord progression. A solo usually features a single instrumental performer (e.g., a guitarist or a harmonica player) or less commonly, more than one instrumentalist (e.g., a trumpeter and a sax player).[10]
Thirty-two-bar form uses four sections, most often eight measures long each (4×8=32), two verses or A sections, a contrasting B section (the bridge or "middle-eight") and a return of the verse in one last A section (AABA).[26] Verse-chorus form or ABA form may be combined with AABA form, in compound AABA forms. Variations such as a1 and a2 can also be used. The repetition of one chord progression may mark off the only section in a simple verse form such as the twelve bar blues.[10]
Development in North America and Europe
Industry
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2016) |
"The most significant feature of the emergent popular music industry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the extent of its focus on the commodity form of
The early popular music performers worked hand-in-hand with the sheet music industry to promote popular sheet music. One of the early popular music performers to attain widespread popularity was a
The center of the music publishing industry in the US during the late 19th century was in New York's '
Radio broadcasting of music, which began in the early 1920s, helped to spread popular songs to a huge audience, enabling a much larger proportion of the population to hear songs performed by professional singers and music ensembles, including individuals from lower income groups who previously would not have been able to afford concert tickets. Radio broadcasting increased the ability of songwriters, singers and bandleaders to become nationally known. Another factor which helped to disseminate popular music was the introduction of "talking pictures"—
In the 1950s and 1960s, the new invention of television began to play an increasingly important role in disseminating new popular music. Variety shows regularly showcased popular singers and bands. In the 1960s, the development of new technologies in recording, such as multitrack recorders gave
"In popular music, embracing the '70s meant both an
industrialists capitalized on the national mood to reduce potent music to an often reactionary species of entertainment—and to transmute rock's popular base from audience to market."[28]
In the 1970s, the trend towards consolidation in the recording industry continued to the point that the "... dominance was in the hands of five huge transnational organizations, three American-owned (
The "introduction of digital equipment (mixing desks, synthesizers, samplers, sequencers)" in the 1980s resulted in what
Criticism
Popular genres of music
There are many genres of music worldwide, over 300. Leading for the most popular genres worldwide, pop music takes the first spot. In countries like the US, include hip-hop, blues, RNB, and rap take the leading spots.
The most popular genres of music rank differently throughout the world. However, there are also very niche genres of music. For example, in Canada the most popular niche genre of music is video game soundtracks. In Sweden, black metal is a niche genre of music. In South India, Carnatic is a niche genre of music people enjoy listening to.
Music genre popularity changes greatly over time. This can be influenced by a number of factors such as current trends or even historical events. In America during the 1980s, rock music was at its peak and then slowly lost its top spot as pop music began to climb the charts. Since the early 2000s, pop music has charted number one in American music charts, but since 2017, RnB and Hip Hop have taken that spot.
Changes
In addition to many changes in specific sounds and technologies used, there has been a shift in the content and key elements of popular music since the 1960s. One major change is that popular music has gotten slower; the average BPM of popular songs from the 1960s was 116, while the average of the 2000s was 100BPM.[30] Additionally, songs getting radio play in the 1960s were, on average, only about three minutes long.[31] In contrast, most of the songs in the Billboard Top 5 in 2018 were between 3:21 and 3:40 minutes long.[32] There has also been a drop in the use of major keys and a rise in the use of minor keys since the 1960s; 85% of songs were in a major key in that decade, while only around 40% of songs are in a major key now.[33] The subject matter and lyrics of popular music have also undergone major change, becoming sadder[34][35] as well as more antisocial and self-centered since the 1960s.[33] There has also been an increasing trend of songs' emotional content, key, and tempo not following common associations; for example, fast songs with sad subject matters or in a minor key, or slow songs with happier content or in a major key.[33]
There are multiple possible explanations for many of these changes. One reason for the brevity of songs in the past was the physical capability of records. Vinyl record singles, which were heavily favored for radio play, only had room for about three minutes of music, physically limiting the possible length of popular songs.[31] With the invention of CDs in 1982, and more recently with streaming, music can be as long or short as both writers and listeners wish. However, songs have shortened again, partially due to the ubiquity of streaming. The average song length in 2018 was 3 minutes and 30 seconds, 20 seconds shorter than the average in 2014.[36] The most probable cause of this is that artists are now paid per individual stream, and longer songs could mean fewer streams. As for the difference in songs' subject matter and emotional content, popular music since the late 1960s has increasingly been used to promote social change and political agendas. Artists since that time have often focused their music on current events and subjects relevant to the current generations. Another theory is that globalization makes audiences' tastes more diverse, so different ideas in music have a chance to gain popularity.[33]
Global perspective
In contrast to Western popular music, a genre of music that is popular outside of a Western nation, is categorized into World music. This label turns otherwise popular styles of music into an exotic and unknown category. The Western concept of 'World Music' homogenizes many different genres of popular music under one accessible term for Western audiences.[21] New media technology has led urban music styles to filter into distant rural areas across the globe. The rural areas, in turn, are able to give feedback to the urban centers about the new styles of music.[16] Urbanization, modernization, exposure to foreign music and mass media have contributed to hybrid urban pop styles. The hybrid styles have also found a space within Western popular music through the expressions of their national culture.[15] Recipient cultures borrow elements from host cultures and alter the meaning and context found in the host culture. Many Western styles, in turn, have become international styles through multinational recording studios.[15]
Africa
Popular African music styles have stemmed from traditional entertainment genres, rather than evolving from music used with certain traditional ceremonies like weddings, births, or funerals.
Political songs have been an important category of African popular music in many societies. During the continent's struggle against colonial rule, nationalistic songs boosted citizens' morale. These songs were based on Western marches and hymns reflecting the European education system that the early nationalistic leaders grew up in. Not all African political songs were based on Western styles. For example, in South Africa, the political songs during the Anti-Apartheid Movement were based on traditional tribal styles along with hybrid forms of imported genres.[15] Activists used protest and freedom songs to persuade individuals to take action, become educated with the struggle, and empower others to be politically conscious.[39] These songs reflected the nuances between the different classes involved in the liberation struggle.[15]
One of the genres people of Africa use for political expression is
America
United States
In the contemporary United States, one of the most popular forms of music is rap.[41] DJ Kool Herc, is famously known for creating hip-hop itself in the 1970s.[42] With the technique he created when mixing two identical records back and forth, he was able to make unique-sounding sounds that later gave birth to rap itself. In modern times, rap is used to bring awareness to a problem such as: racism, sexism, and much more.[43] It developed communities in a culture regarding music.
Asia
Indonesia
Popular music in Indonesia is often categorized as hybrid forms of Western rock to genres that originated in Indonesia and are indigenous in style.[15] The genre of music Dangdut is a genre of popular music specifically found in Indonesia. Dangdut formed from two other genres of popular music: indo pop and underground music[44] coming together to create a new fusion genre. Dangdut takes the noisy instrumentation from underground music, but makes it easier to listen to, like indo pop. Dangdut attempts to form many popular music genres like rock, pop, and traditional music to create a new sound that lines up with the consumers' tastes.[45] This genre has formed into a larger social movement that includes clothing, youth culture, the resurgence of Islam, and the capitalist entertainment industry.[15]
Another music scene that is popular in Indonesia is punk rock. This genre was shaped in Indonesia by the local interpretations of the media from the larger global punk movement.[44] Jeremy Wallach argues that while Green Day was seen as the "death of punk," in Indonesia they were seen catalyst for a larger punk movement.[44] Punk in Indonesia calls on the English-speaking world to embrace the global sects of the punk subculture and become open-minded to the transnational genre.[44]
China
In a 2015 study involving young students in Shanghai, youths stated they enjoyed listening to both Chinese, other Asian nationalities, and Anglo-American popular music. There are three ways that young people of China were able to access global music.[22] The first reason was a policy change since the late 1970s where the country was opened up to the rest of the world instead of being self-contained. This created more opportunities for Chinese people to interact with people outside of their country of origin to create a more globalized culture. The second reason is that the Chinese television and music industry since the 1980s has broadcast television shows from their neighboring Asian societies and the West. The third reason is the impact of the internet and smartphones on the accessibility of streaming music.[22]
In 2015, students in China accounted for 30.2% of China's internet population and the third and fifth most popular uses of the internet were respectively, internet music and internet video use. The youths described being able to connect to the emotions and language of the Chinese music, but also enjoyed the melodies found within Anglo-American music. The students also believed that listening to the English music would improve their English language skills.[22]
Middle East
Modernization of music in the Arab world involved borrowing inspiration from Turkish music and Western musical styles.[46] The late Egyptian singer, Umm Kulthum, stated,
"We must respect ourselves and our art. The Indians have set a good example for us - they show great respect for themselves and their arts. Wherever they are, they wear their native dress and their music is known throughout the world. This is the right way."
She discussed this to explain why Egypt and the Arab world needed to take pride in the popular music styles originating in their culture so the styles were not lost in the modernization.[46] Local musicians learned Western instrumental styles to create their own popular styles including their native languages and indigenous musical features.[46] Communities in throughout the Arab world place high value on their indigenous musical identities while assimilating to new musical styles from neighboring countries or mass media.[46] Through the 1980s and 1990s, popular music has been seen as a problem for the Iranian government because of the non-religious meanings within the music and the bodily movements of dancing or headbanging.[47] During this time period, metal became a popular underground subculture through the Middle East. Just like their Western counterparts, Middle Eastern metal followers expressed their feelings of alienation. But their thoughts came from war and social restrictions on youth.[48]
In interviews of Iranian teenagers between 1990 and 2004, the youth overall preferred Western popular music, even though it was banned by the government.[47] Iranian underground rock bands are composed of members who are young, urban-minded, educated, relatively well-off, and global beings. Iranian rock is described by the traits that these band members possess.[47] The youth who take part in underground music in the Middle East are aware of the social constraints of their countries, but they are not optimistic about social change.[48] Iranian rock bands have taken up an internationalist position to express their rebellion from the discourses in their national governments.[47]
See also
- LGBT music
- List of honorific titles in popular music
- List of popular music genres
- List of popular music performers
- Music popularity index
- Music radio
- Popular culture
- Popular music pedagogy
- Volume!
References
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- ^ "Definition of "popular music"". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
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- ^ Lamb, Bill. "Pop Music Defined". About Entertainment. About.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2005. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ Allen, Robert. "Popular music". Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage. 2004.
- ^ Laurie, Timothy (2014). "Music Genre As Method". Cultural Studies Review. 20 (2), pp. 283-292.
- ^ ISBN 978-0333608005.
- ^ Bus, Natalia (August 3, 2017). "An ode to the iPod: the enduring impact of the world's most successful music player". New Statesman. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ISBN 9781137283115.
- ISBN 9780203862094.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1984). "Popular Music". In Halsey, William Darrach (ed.). Collier's Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
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- ^ ISBN 978-0335152759.
- S2CID 218800213.
- ^ Gorlinski, Virginia (July 13, 2020). "gospel music - Definition, Artists, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Stephen L. Betts, Jon Freeman; Betts, Stephen L.; Freeman, Jon (July 2, 2019). "10 Essential Reggae Covers of Country Classics". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
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- ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Play A Simple Melody: American pop music in the early fifties" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
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- ^ a b c d e f g h Middleton, Richard and Peter Manuel. "Popular music" in Grove Music Online.
- ISBN 0899190251. Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Kane, K. (1999, 11). Recording: Recording options for the indie artist. Canadian Musician, 21, 62.
- ^ Leight, Elias (15 August 2017). "Producers, Songwriters on How Pop Songs Got So Slow". Rolling Stonre. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ a b McKinney, Kelsey (18 August 2014). "A hit song is usually 3 to 5 minutes long. Here's why". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Olivet, Dean (21 January 2019). "We Analyzed Every Dang Song That Cracked the Billboard Top 5 in 2018". Soundfly. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d Lin, Helen Lee. "Pop Music Became More Moody in Past 50 Years". Scientific American. Springer Nature America. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
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- ^ Morris, Chris (17 January 2019). "Songs Are Getting Shorter. Blame the Economics of Streaming Music". Fortune. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
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44. HeadphonesAddict. "20+ Music Genre Statistics: Most Popular Music Genres (2022)". HeadphonesAddict, 8 July 2022, https://headphonesaddict.com/music-genre-statistics/.
Further reading
- T.W. Adorno with G. Simpson: 'On Popular Music', Studies in Philosophy and Social Science, ix (1941), 17–48
- D. Brackett: Interpreting Popular Music (Cambridge, 1995)
- Brøvig-Hanssen, Ragnhild & Danielsen, Anne (2016). Digital Signatures: The Impact of Digitization on Popular Music Sound. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262034142
- Larry Freeman: The Melody Lingers on: 50 Years of Popular Song (Watkins Glen, N.Y.: Century House, 1951). 212 p. N.B.: Includes a chronology, "50 Years of Song Hits", on p. 193-215.
- P. Gammond: The Oxford Companion to Popular Music (Oxford, 1991)
- Haddix, Chuck. Rags to Be-bop: the Sounds of Kansas City Music, 1890-1945. [Text by] Chuck Haddix (Kansas City, Mo.: University of Missouri at Kansas City, University Libraries, Marr Sound Archives, 1991). Without ISBN
- P. Hardy and D. Laing: The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music (London, 1990/R)
- R. Iwaschkin: Popular Music: a Reference Guide (New York, 1986)
- J. Kotarba, B. Merrill, J. P. Williams, & P. Vannini Understanding Society through Popular Music. NY:Routledge, 2013 (second ed.) ISBN 9780415 641951
- Larkin, Colin. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford University Press, 2006 ISBN 9780195313734(10 volumes)
- R. Middleton: Studying Popular Music (Milton Keynes, 1990)
- Moore, Allan F., ed. Analyzing popular music. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
- M. Sorce Keller: "Continuing Opera with Other Means: Opera, Neapolitan song, and popular music among Italian immigrants overseas", Forum Italicum, Vol. XLIX(2015), No 3, 1- 20.
External links
- Genres of popular music - Interactive relationships diagram
- Famous Music Videos - Music Video Databases - YouTube, Google Video, MySpace TV, MetaCafe, DailyMotion, Veoh, Current.com, ClipFish.de, MyVideo.de, Break.com and EyeSpot
- The 1950s-2000's Week-By-Week - Looks at pop music/albums/radio and music news through these decades.
- Pop Culture Madness Features the most requested pop songs 1920s through today
- The Daily Vault music reviews
- Yale Music Library Guide to Pop Music Research
- [1] the French academic journal dedicated to the study of popular music
- Éditions Mélanie Seteun ! a French publisher dedicated to popular music studies - publishes Volume!, the French journal of PMS.
- 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
- ^ Nettl, Bruno (24 August 2022). "folk music". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.