High and Popular Types of Music - Report Example

High” and “Popular” Culture College: Art as an important part of people’s lives tends to change to meet the needs of the society, such as intellectual and emotional ones. The latter usually depend on the environment as well as social and economic status of a person. In the course of its development, music as one of the art forms has been changed to meet these demands of the society. As a result, there appeared a division between “high” and “popular” culture. For the present analysis, two pairs of “high” and “popular” types of music have been chosen: opera and operetta (nineteenth century) and orchestral music and electronic music (twentieth century). The second half of the nineteenth century One of the most widespread genres of high, classical music in the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe was opera. This genre of classical music has quite a long history of development starting with the end of the sixteenth century and bears the essence of the Western classical music tradition. With the introduction of opera to the broad audience, the genre began to evolve and got to its so-called “golden age” exactly in the second half of the nineteenth century. Since the times of the emergence of opera, it was in Western Europe that the genre evolved, spread and became more and more popular. In other words, it is possible to say that the development of this genre is associated with a particular geographical situation. In fact, this is true because Western Europe is known as the place where all the genres of classical music take their roots. History events also played a significant role in the development of opera and making it one of the most distinguished genres. More specifically, musical critics and historians claim that the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars (1789 and 1789-1814 correspondingly) had the greatest influence on political, economic and social changes in Europe, which, in their turn, were followed by cultural changes (Elliott, 2013). Countries in Western Europe that resisted Napoleon’s invasion developed a sense of patriotism and national identity. Composers as the representatives of the elite also embraced the idea of national identity, and, as a result, operas became more distinguishably Italian, French, German etc. and got even more popularity (Elliott, 2013). A genre that perfectly fits the dichotomy of “high” and “low”, or “popular” culture regarding opera is operetta. The nineteenth century known for the invention of this dichotomy considered operettas as the lighter, less complicated genre of music meant to entertain only (Katalinic, 2006). Operetta originated from opera buffa, or comic opera (a sub genre of opera) in France to meet the needs of the common people for light and short pieces in contrast to long serious operas (Traubner, 2003). Therefore, the rise of operetta is associated with the same geographical location as of opera; historically, it is the rise of the middle class in Europe that triggered the introduction and evolution of operetta. This genre gained favour with the audience due to its “clever libretti, satirical jibes, romantic intrigue, mesmerizing stars, lovely chorus girls, and scenic splendor” with its “contagious melodies” being “the most important element” of the genre (Traubner, 2003). In both opera and operetta, music is the primal, most important element. In addition to this, both these genres involve the use of stage, costume, acting, and orchestra. The differences between opera and operetta are also obvious and deal mostly with the goals of the genres. In particular, the message of opera is communicated through the highest exploitation of voice, while in operetta uses “a kind of a spoken word singing” and does not rely heavily on the singer’s vocalism (Marinescu, 2014). What is more, opera is characterized by a dramatic storyline with serious conflicts; in operetta, storyline is lighter and filled with humor, satire, and great dynamism (Marinescu, 2014). The second half of the twentieth century The second half of the twentieth century is regarded as the period of postmodernism characterized by eclecticism and intertextuality, which mean that genres mix and resonate with one another. This can also mean that there is a possibility that there is no division between “high” and “low” culture. Still, there is a clear distinction between “high” and “popular” music. During the second half of the twentieth century, classical music still held its place in its niche. One of the genres, which experienced the highest popularity, was orchestral music. One of the most important factors of the rebirth of orchestral music was the end of World War II. Prior to the war, the dictatorship dominated all over Europe and opposed any possible innovations creating “a sort of vacuum in Europe” (Leeuw, 2005). The dictatorship was destroyed, and this resulted in the sporadic and spontaneous rise of new currents both in Europe, including Eastern Europe, and the USA and Japan (Leeuw, 2005). Therefore, it is possible to say that World War II was the main historical factor that influenced the spread of orchestral music across great territory. The second half of the twentieth century was marked not only by the rebirth of orchestral music but also by the introduction of a completely new genre, electronic music. As it follows from the name of the genre, the creation of this type of music involves the use of electronic technologies and electronic musical instruments. The main historical and scientific factor that influenced the rise and development of electronic music in the second half of the twentieth century was the invention of a range of technical devices that allowed production and recording of music. In accordance with Dunn (1992), the history of electronic music goes back to the late nineteenth century; however, it was World War II that had the greatest influence on the development of new technological for it was the period of the significant experimental activities. After 1950s, composers started using technical gains while creating music (Dunn, 1992). As for the geographical situation in regards to electronic music, at the earliest stages this genre was developing in Western Europe and the USA where the necessary technological means and devices were invited and produced. With the increase of the affordability of musical technology, electronic music became popular on greater territories (Holmes, 2002). The differences between orchestral music and electronic music are obvious. First of all, it is the instruments used in music production. While there are no changes introduced to the instruments used to perform classical music, electronic music performance includes a wide range of technical innovations, which touch upon sound production. In addition to this, orchestral music is performed by a significant number of people, and each of the performers plays only one instrument. Electronic music can be performed by only one person without sacrificing the quality of sound. Finally, very often electronic music performance is an improvisation of a musician while traditional orchestral music performance is always rehearsed. As it is seen from the above-mentioned, music and its development greatly depend on a wide range of factors. First of all, they are the public attitudes, the intellectual and emotional needs of the society. In addition to this, historical events, such as wars and revolutions mentioned in the analyzed examples, are also of great importance. Finally, such factor as geographical location also defines the developmental patterns of the notion. References: Dunn, David. "A History of Electronic Music Pioneers." Art and Science Laboratory. 1992. Web. 10 Aug 2014. . Elliott, Dennis. "Italian Opera in the 19th Century." Opera Australia. N.p., 20 Dec 2013. Web. 10 Aug 2014. . Holmes, Thomas. Electronic and Experimental Music: Pioneers in Technology and Composition. Psychology Press, 2002. Katalinic, Vjera. "Music Theatre as High Culture?." H-Soz-u-Kult. Clio-online, 24 Oct 2006. Web. 10 Aug 2014. . Leeuw, Ton. Music of the Twentieth Century. Amsterdam University Press, 2005. Marinescu, Florenta. "Opera and Operetta. Similarities and Contrasts." International Journal of Communication Research. 4.2 (2014): 75-78. Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History. London: Routledge, 2003. Read More