Evolution of Music from the 1920s to 1980s - Essay Example

Evolution of Music from the 1920s to 1980s September 29, Information Introduction The changes in music began to develop in an alternative manner from the 1920s to the 1980s. The alterations which were made let to development and experimentation with popular music and perspectives that were beginning to transform. The eras of music led to some of the most alterations in music, specifically because of innovations in both technology and the theories of music. This combined with the popular demand that was continuing to grow with the music and which created different perspectives with the way in which music was looked into. Defining the main changes in music and understanding why it altered through each time frame also builds deeper knowledge about the evolution of music and how it changes because of the external environment and philosophies from individual artists. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of this paper is to examine the main ways in which the music of the 1920s – 1980s changed and transformed. Specifically, there will be a relation to the alterations in popular music and how this changed because of the external environment and the internal philosophies of music. The objectives of this paper will enhance this with: discovering the main movements that changed music between the 1920s and 1980s explore the ways in which technology changed music between the 1920s and 1980s analyze major trends which took place between the 1920s and 1980s and how these began to influence music look at the social, political, cultural and environmental issues and how these affected the innovations in music The main objectives are defined by creating a deeper understanding and analysis of music between the 1920s and 1980s while discovering how it evolved between time frames. This will enhance the overall understanding of how music has changed between time frames and what the main factors are with this change. Social Influences in Music Music that began to emerge in the 1920s differed from what was known in the past, specifically because of alterations which were being made in society. The social influences began to change first with the social changes between generations that began in the 1920s. The first change was based on social groups that began to arise, all which identified with music, fashion and popular culture as a way of creating a sense of identity. Jazz, blues and other forms of music were an example of how this arose. Many considered this the music of the African – Americans during this time and created a different sense of preferences with those in the group. The music was able to create a sense of identity because of the struggles which it identified as belonging specifically to those who were a part of the group. This was combined with attitudes, actions and other concepts which followed, all which were based on similar social influences which were a part of the generations and the social stigma of the time (Smith, 43). The concepts that were associated with social groups were furthered as movements and ideologies became a part of society. The shifts which occurred in society furthered with the identity that was a part of the movements to change how cultural groups functioned. This began to arise with groups such as the feminists and social activist groups that related to a specific identity. The main association was with creating a different set of beliefs based on the group and the ideologies which were associated with this. For instance, the 1930s began to create a feminist movement that was associated with modern social looks. The music which reflected this was created to build a different identity based on the emerging beliefs. Freedom of sexual expression, romance and love and themes which experimented with the identity of women created an alternative approach to how many functioned with their music (Cook, Tsou, 91). Political Factors in Music The second emergence that altered the music from the 1920s to the 1980s was the political changes of the time. The political ideologies which were represented in each time frame were the main component that was a part of the music. For instance, the 1920s – 1940s experienced World War I and World War II. The music of the time frame focused on the patriotism of the country and emerged into the changing ideals of being a free American. Country music and other types of modern styles reflected this with continuous alterations in the thematic material that were based on supporting the troops of other countries. The political factors also altered with other changes linked to politics during the time, such as the emergence of the industrial society and the working class. The main ideology was to create music that helped to identify the different movements in politics and how these reflected in society. Creating an identity off the actions of others became the most important component of the music of this time (Putnam, 15). The changes which were associated with this continued with the ideologies of music revivals and how this was incorporated into the overall musical theories. When looking at the 1960s – 1970s, it is seen that the musical genres and revivals were based on the same types of music. The ideas of the music were based on the theories of spreading music to create different ideals. The political themes were based on the hippy movement and the rebellion against the governmental actions which were occurring. This was combined with the historical understanding and how this moved into the modern beliefs of moving into a capitalist society. Forms of music such as rock and roll, hard rock and other types of music rebelled against the past generations and the association with the music that was created for alternate beliefs against politics. The political themes were heard from musicians such as Paul McCartney, specifically to create a different approach to understanding the more serious issues of politics and how this was creating humanitarian responses (Livingston, 66). Emerging Technologies Another larger alteration which began in the 1920s and which continued to change the genres of music was the technology that was a part of the time frame. The concepts of technology began to emerge in the 1920s with Hollywood films and experiments with recording that began to emerge. This particular approach changed the music recorded in a variety of ways. The first was with the ability to record musicians, which allowed the music to become more popular and to create the social structure with the music that was before considered local or regional. When Hollywood began to emerge, there was the ability to take what was known as the world of the workers and to popularize so it was displayed through the film or on a recording. The popularity of musicians and the music created was able to move to national and international levels while creating a direct association with the lifestyle one had, as displayed through the film or heard in the songs. The demand for new skills and talents that combined with this then became an important component with the music and the reflections created (Kraft, 289). The movement into recording not only popularized certain styles of music but expanded into other concepts that were associated with the recording. The technology which was considered a main component of the music industry continued to expand into new corporations and businesses that improved technology from various perspectives. The first was with the type of music equipment which was available, all which provided different sounds and opportunities for recording. The second was with the new technologies which were used for instruments, such as the electrical guitar and bass. This emerged into new forms and sounds used for experimentation and the associations which were a part of the recording industry. The concepts were based on the way in which the music equipment formed new sounds first. This emerged into new markets that were interested in the music and which went beyond acoustic styles. By the 1970s – 1980s, there was an emergence of techno, rock and roll, hard rock, disco and other forms of popular music. These were all based on the emergence of the technology used, all which popularized various forms and made the music movie go into a shift recognized internationally (Alexander, 113). New Philosophies of Musical Styles Technologies, social movements, expectations with politics and other external factors all influenced the music from the 1920s further with the personal initiatives taken by many during this time frame. Many took the initiatives with the social movements as well as the technology available and formed personalized genres and options which could be used. An early example of this is with Pete Seeger, an artist who was known through the 1970s as a folk musician. Seeger’s approach was not only based on playing the folk music that was known to him. He combined this with the approach to targeting families and children on a national and international basis. His ideology focused on combining the music with education and other components. He combined with new experimentation in technology and personal perspectives with music to enhance this. The result was the ability to create a stronger international fan base while building a different focus on music that was able to cross generations and form genres which were supported differently than would have been before the 1920s (McCarthy, 270). The changes with the personal philosophies were not only based on enhancing education and changing the options which were available at this level. There were also approaches which were combined with the philosophies held by specific artists and recording studios. This combined with both experimentation into new forms of art with approaches which connected to the social movements and initiatives which were taking place. The ideology of this which shows the direct link is music from the 1920s to the 1980s which combined the patriotism with personal beliefs. Country music and initiatives were based on creating a genre which was based on the philosophies of connecting to the country where the main initiatives at the time. Country singers such as Paul Simon with the “American Tune” to Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider” were based on the same philosophy. The main approach with country music began with creating a direct connection to the working lifestyle in the land in the 1920s. This continued with ideologies of the 1960s – 1970s about the patriotism to the country, specifically because of specific events. Musicians which were interested in reflecting the philosophies of each time frame were known to movie into country or other genres which represented the personal ideologies and the reflections of both the country and the social movements of each time frame (Scheurer, 197). Popularity of Music Philosophies Each of the changes in music which were presented moved from the personal philosophies and a sense of experimentation with technology into the ability to reach the crowds. The main association which began to relate to music and musicians was on building a fan base and being a part of the musical industry. This led to the ideologies of popular music being available by genre and in the terms of reaching the larger population through ideologies. The initiation through recording studios, approaches that were related to the mega – performances and the movement into the philosophies to reflect the ideas of society were some of the main concepts. Many of the musicians that were a part of the era believed that there was a direct association with the ability to say what needed to be a part of the crowds. The sound, experimentation and the music which was created was then based on being a voice to the popular crowds and creating a genre that was based on this. This built a different understanding of the overall approaches to society and the responses to them. The idea of crowd pleasers as a way of building the right approaches, combined with understanding the main association with changing meaning to grab more attention with those who were interested in specific ideas. Instead of focusing on musical theories, there was a creation of meaning that would grab the attention of different groups of societies while building a different meaning and association with those which were in society. The result was a combination of subcultures with the main scenes of music, allowing the personal philosophies to associate with the main forms of music in society (Longhurst, 199). The idea of changing music for popular interest and combining it with the associations from philosophies from personal musicians is what has led to the popular forms of music today. This is an ideology which began in the 1920s, specifically because of the emergence of new technologies and the association with the social and political movements which followed. The overall understanding of music continued to alter through the 1980s with genres emerging that were based on the understanding of popular music and the discussions which were a part of the needs of the time. The music was then directly linked to the social, political and personal philosophies, all which made the musicians and genres icons that represented a different philosophy. The productivity associated with this changed music from an art form into an industry with the genres being branches of the industry. The change was one that altered the idea of music as an art form to music as a production that was a part of the industry. All of the ideologies of music then linked together to create an alternative understanding of what it meant to be a part of the music industry (Middleton, 235). Conclusion and Recommendations The concepts which emerged from music in the 1920s altered the way in which the industry of music was looked into. Studying the trends of music from an analytical perspective is one which can be looked at and defined even more with the understanding of the environmental changes and the philosophies which emerged in the musical society beginning in the 1920s. The ideology is one which can be expanded into understanding why there are a variety of genres today and what the social association with music is in the current time. This is created with the same understanding of what music was at the different times and how this has now emerged into popular music that draws in crowds at an international level. The idea of music as an industry is one which can be expanded in understanding by examining how the industry was formed, specifically which began in the 1920s. When analyzing the main trends in music from the 1920s to the 1980s, it is seen that there is a specific association with the trends of the time and how this linked to music. The social distinctions were based on philosophies of identity and movements which corresponded with the music played. This was combined with the overall changes in history which were occurring, specifically with historical links that created new philosophies and movements which occurred. This was not separate from the changes which were occurring with the technology, specifically which allowed the social movements to emerge and changed music into a voice that allowed various segments of the population to change their ideologies and identity toward specific concepts. This overall approach was combined with the musical elements that were a part of the personal philosophies of the time. However, there is now a question of whether the personal philosophies were recognized from the individual or whether it was to create a popular segment that idealized the artists and the music which was played. The evolution of music from the 1920s to the 1980s was one which shows a variety of innovations, experiments and changes in the society that were a part of the needed changes. The ideals were based on the alterations by individual musicians and alterations in society. Changing this was one which became important because of the ideologies which were created and the way in which this caused changes in society. The production of music, specifically from the various forces of music which occurred during these time frames, has now led to a different way of examining and looking at music in society today. Works Cited Alexander, Peter. “New Technology and Market Structure: Evidence from the Music Recording Industry.” Journal of Cultural Economics 18 (2), 1994. Cook, Susan, Judy Tsou. Cecilia Reclaimed: Feminist Perspectives on Gender and Music. University of Illinois Press: Illinois, 1994. Kraft, James. “Musicians in Hollywood: Work and Technological Change in Entertainment Industries, 1926-1940.” Technology and Culture 35 (2), 1994. Livingston, Tamara. “Music Revivals: Towards a General Theory.” Ethnomusicology 43 (1), 1999. Longhurst, Brian. Popular Music and Society. Cavium Networks: New York, 2000. McCarthy, Marie. “On ‘American Music for American Children’ The Contributions of Peter Seeger.” Journal of Reearch in Music Education 43 (4), 1995. Middleton, Richard. “Play It Again Sam: Some Notes on Productivity in Popular Music.” Popular Music (3), 1983. Putnam, Robert. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster: New York, 2001. Scheurer, Timothy. Born in the USA: The Myths of America in Popular Music from Colonial to Present Times. University Press of Mississippi: Mississippi, 2005. Smith, Tom. “Generational Differences in Musical Preferences.” Popular Music and Society 18 (2), 1994. Read More