QUIZ #1 Flashcards
Martin: “initial thoughts”
Music is historically and inherently a social activity. We tend to think of music as individual expression but Martin says this isn’t true in all places and times.
There is irony in the belief that music can express the subjectivity of individuals
Expression is yoked to convention, (Shh is convention of being quiet, minor key=sad music)
Social order emerges from two contrasting forces:
-The creative impulse of individuals
-The limitations and constraints which the existing order imposes upon them.
-Both of these work together. For an individual to communicate they have to work with existing standards for which we understand.
What is social construction vs. essentialism?
Sociology is more than being interested in our definition of music… It is interested in the process of how and why our society produces that definition.
Social construction: Social phenomena, do NOT have a fixed “essence”, are NOT self-defining AND have been defined over time by society.
Social construction builds on the ideas of a major school of sociology called symbolic interaction. Essentialism by contrast is the view that things have an indwelling, unchanging “essence” or identity.
How was primitive or “undifferentiated” music different from modern music?
Primitive music is an expression of collective experience… not the well-defined work of a single individual.
Martin describes the evolution (division/differentiation/specialization) Western Music over time.
1.Sacred music separates from folk music
2. Composer, musician, and [increasingly passive] listener become separate functions.
3. Instrumental music separates from vocals. - instrumental became okay kinda recently
4. “Serious” separates from “light” (Formally educated musicians can also create light (fun) music)
5.Music of other cultures is added
6. Multiplication of genres.
What is the Weberian approach that Terry has chosen to use in this class?
Max Weber was another conflict theorist who believed that society progresses through “Rationalization” , the increasingly efficient use of science, math, and technology.
-Making things more efficient- more math and more science.
-Ex. mental health, content creation, Navigation, education.
National system didn’t exist and he says the notation system of music was monumental rationalization.
Difference between sociology of music and musicology/ ethnomusicology?
Sociology- the mutual influences of music and society
Musicology- the meaning of the musical pieces themselves
Ethnomusicology- cultural impacts on the meaning of specific musical pieces
Shared by Sociology and Ethnomusicology- music as a social mirror.
Definitions of Sociology, esp. Sociology’s Core View of Reality and Heirich
Definitions- many but sociology is the study of human groups: their origin, development, structure, function, and significance for social life. Sociology explores how the group is powerful in various situations. A social science perspective that views human behavior through the lens of THE GROUP.
Core View of Reality- We are always participating in something larger than ourselves [social systems or groups], and if we want to understand social life and what happens to people, we have to understand what is that we’re participating in and how we participate in it.
Heinrich- Sociology studies the ways in which people construct or arrange their encounters with one another-their common experience. (how groups arrange things-social structure)
Structure and cultures are the two parts of soc. Sociological questions:
1. What are the important patterns?
2. What is the probability
3. What the processes by which social life changes
4. What principles explain the situation?
The 3 slides on History of Sociology
As the economic, social and political change in Europe became more dramatic in the 19th century… industrial revolution, french revolution, birth of nation states, feminism, decline of the church’s power
… there was an interest in addressing that social change scientifically based on the 18th and 18th century enlightenment thinking. (if we don’t ask the church how do we learn things?”
All aspects of life are subject to the same critical examination as nature…
The individual is capable of understanding and making decisions… if given scientific info
The world “progresses”… (moves forward)
Sociology became the specialized form of assessing social change, drawing from social science disciplines that emerged earlier. (why is change happening)
History, Economics, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology
Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Mead, DuBois, Gilman – key idea for each
Karl Marx- “first sociologist” but many other areas also claim him, “historical materialism” -the basis of social change is conflict over production. Marx is the touchstone for all subsequent sociological work. Focused on structure.
Max Weber- Weber is the first major sociologist to focus on the cultural aspects of society… how they are influenced by the society around them, and how they in turn influence society. Religion, Music.
David Durkheim- Society evolves, like an organism. And its part all contribute to the successful function of the whole. The whole controls the parts. Sociology studies the function of the parts.
George Mead- (Individual in social context). Individuals have a “self” that is shaped in interacting with the social world. Individuals choose social actions based on their interpretation of a situation’s meaning. Meanings are created over time through social interaction. (structure, culture, interaction)
W.E.B Du Bois- The problems of African Americans are the result of exclusion from mainstream American life, not the results of any flaw of African Americans as a group;. Structure of American society + slavery that has led to the problems African Americnas have.
Charlotte Gilman- Our consciousness is androcentric: designed to support male control rather than humanness. Excessive gendering (beyond biological necessity) results in a sexu-economic relationship that is distorted: the woman depends on the man. Excessive gendering is especially painful in the work world. She joined some of the existing conversations (economics) and how those things have been influenced by gender.
What are musical schemas and how are they created?
The brain constructs the meaning of sound… by “extracting relationships among elements.” “It is computing a reality for us that is rich in complexity and beauty.” It is cataloging “standard situations” or “schemas”- the brain hears sound and decides there is a relationship between creating a schema by identifying relationships.
Schemas: A structure or template for some aspect of reality “Blueprint.” We develop schemas for various musical styles, eras, composers, etc.
-Example: Gap filling- big jump expectation is you’ll go back and do something in the gap.
-Schemas are not “isomorphic” (same forms) they do not presume strict uniformity.
What is the role in music of surprise/the unexpected?
Organized sound that involves some element of surprise, or else it will be robotic, emotionally flat.
Requires learning the underlying structure of music: it’s “grammar”
Composers know what the expected structure is. They add emotions as they meet- or don’t meet- those expectations.
Examples: The unexpected in chord progression, harmonies, length of phrase, style, rhythm
Then there’s Schonberg- who sometimes threw out as many expectations as possible: To create a metaphor for 20th century existence? To be contrary?
Wolff, per slides: which type of cultural study are we doing in this course?
“Cultural Studies and the Sociology of Culture”
“Sociology of culture” uses traditional sociological approaches to examine issues in “high culture”- literature, art, music, etc.
“Cultural studies,” [started in England, 1970s] examines various aspects of popular culture, their meaning, and their political implications.
“Cultural sociology” sees culture [beliefs, values, norms, rituals]- rather than structure [e.g. race, class, gender]- as the basis for understanding social behavior.
This class is “Sociology of Culture”
Be able to recognize a group of terms clustered together that describe each of the following: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern.
Baroque- Wars! change/progress: science, colonialism, capitalism BEGIN to exert influence. The theory of affections (e.g. Descartes) external stimuli create lasting emotional states in the individual. Move the emotions.
-Dramatic, theatrical (conflict), opera, moving the audience’s emotions. Motion: basso continuo, dance rhythms. Change-experimentation with many new forms; voice and instruments mixed freely; new instruments.
Classical- increasing population; cities; nostalgia for nature. Industrial revolution, middle class. Education is more accessible. Philosophy of enlightenment (age of REASON). Strong reference of Greek/Roman ideals. Rights of the people, worth of the individual. Move toward the enlightenment ideal of realism, restrain, harmony, and order.
-Simpler textures, melodies, forms closer to speech. Sonata, symphony, concerto defined. Opera becomes more “natural.” Address “head” more than heart” More public concerts. The piano becomes central.
Romantic- Expression of emotion and color; ration against “reason” and restraint. Focus on nature; reaction against urbanization. Rise of American; European nationalism. Growing autonomy for the arts. Continued growth of the middle class.
-Subjects involving nature and the supernatural. Rise of program music. Nationalism and exoticism. Changing status of musicians (from employees to professionals)
-Wider range of dynamics and instruments. Melodies and tempos are more dramatic and emotional. Harmonies are fuller, more dissonant. Formal structures are expanded and often determined by programmatic content.
Modern- Phenomenal technology changes. Instantaneous global communications. Growth and eventual decline of totalitarian culture; global conflict. Urbanism. Alienation.
-Ambivalent attitudes toward the musical past. Widening gap between “art” and “popular” music. Advent of sound recording. Birth of “World Music” culture.
-All sounds are possible; all harmonic combinations are possible. Complex texture and rhythms. New instruments and popular music change the soundscape. Form can be heavily controlled OR the result of improvisation and chance.
What sociologist is most famously associated with (French) Structuralism?
Ferdinand de Saussure
Why is the sociological theory “Structuralism” related to this article? (Hint: musical schemas are the way that the brain makes sense out of sound; French Structuralism says that language is the way the brain makes sense out of our outer world/reality; music is a form of language.)
Saussure on Language- The relationship between the signifier (word_ and the signified (concept) is arbitrary. Language is social/socialized at every level, from producing phonemes to interpretation of meaning.
-“Nothing about the word CAT is cat like, it is more a symbol of the reality of a cat. Same thing can be said about sad music… it’s not inherent.”
Structuralism: society operates based on the structure that exists. We create schemas then we go and create music.
Functionalism: society operates to fulfill its needs and the needs of its members. This is a very different concept, society is structured like an animal. It does what it needs to do.
From Ballantine: what is Ballantine’s thesis?
Beethoven’s music was profoundly affected by his experience of the French Revolution and the resulting view that Conflict drives history forward. The old truth is a lie that must be overthrown in order for the new truth to emerge. (conflict moves us forward)
What is Hegel’s “dialectic” of ideas?
Hegel formalized this view in his concept of dialectic. The contradictions of modern life evolve until they reach a higher unity that nonetheless preserves those contradictions. (Conflict comes from ideas). Thesis, antithesis, synthesis.
How is Beethoven’s sonata form like dialectic
Beethoven reflected in his music the same “dialectic”: conflict moving forward toward a higher unity. Beethoven’s sonata form is dialectic… aka: “sonata-allegro” or “first movement form” way he structured major length pieces. Also emerged at the time of the French revolution. Three stages: exposition(states themes-original idea), development (departing from themes-new ideas), recapitulation (rework themes-original themes but in new works).
From Subotnik: what is the difference between the autonomous approach to analyzing music and the contingent approach
Autonomy- interpreting music per se, independent of external influence; “positivist”/scientific. (things can only exist if they can be proven) VS. Contingency- understanding the music in context of outside influences. Says there is subjectivism in music.
From Doktor: How did Jenkins use the music and character in his operetta Afram to reinforce and advance the concept of the “New Negro”?
In the opera Afram (1924), inspired by his international experience, Jenkins’ ties jazz to classical music, with a story that ties African royalty to Black American entertainers. (black characters in this opera are heroic). He asserts/celebrates that American Blacks are part of an international movement of Black freedom and solidarity.- we should be lifting them up, they are involved in a beautiful culture.
If we analyze Chopin from the contingent approach, what do we observe that connects him to his social/cultural era?
His pieces do not have unique personalities: they have an identifiable style. It’s not the tonal structure and internally generated wholeness (universality) that makes his music sensible… its not the structural observable cord structure that makes his style. It’s his interweaving of the fragmentary and particular elements (cultural) his style is he weaves many things from different places- not scientific. The sensual, here-and-now physical world (particular/contingent) triumphs over the harmonious (follow the rules)- (universal/autonomous).
“Role” – definition
The collection of beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes that apply to the holder of a social position. Put together formally or informally, in relationship to other position holders. The first purpose of any culture is to provide a way to know what to consider true and what to consider false…” what exists and what doesn’t (doesn’t have to be absolutely true). Truth, fiction are social constructs.
Goldner: Rome v. Greece (first bullets in 16-17); Medieval secular (19 - bullet 1-2) vs sacred (20-bullet 2-3); 16th century 22-bullet 1)
Rome v. Greece: purpose to build character and morals- support ideas, glorify the state. Songs to make people think. Therefore public and communal. Became competitive like sports.
Medieval secular: Evolution of secular singing: “lascivious and pernicious” sexually needed to be outside the church. Minstrels: vagabonds and immoral. Troubadours are higher status and would often write the songs and minstrels would perform them.
Medieval sacred: professional singers in the church (schools) produced ornamented chants using ancient techniques. Admonition against self display- voices “intoxicating” not “soothing” Perfect voice is high, sweet, and clear. Lifting up glory of god, not singer.
16th century- emergence and idealization of the female voice/
Weinstein: key assertion (34 & 37); Simmel’s concept (30-31); Terry’s point (38)
Key assertion- what makes singers “dicks” or is “ dicktitude” just the perception of the instrumentalists. Singers becomedicks in reaction to expectations associated with the singer ROLE. For example, b/c singers have no instrument, they are not involved in set-up, but then are seen as unhelpful.
Simmel’s concept- The stranger part of the group, but outside of it. The stranger is a confidant, but not fully trusted. The stranger is at risk of being expelled, isolated, or exterminated. Their instruments are different. They are associated with lyrics not music. Many singers join existing groups. They serve as “frontman,” which separates them from the group and emphasizes individuality, not team work..
Terry’s point- The author is embracing and applying the basic sociological assumption. If you want to understand individuals’ behavior, understand the systems in which they operate and their roles in those systems. People are shaped by their roles, they are not the role.
