The Meaning Of Music A Look At The Concept Of Authenticity

The Meaning of Music: A Look at the Concept of Authenticity in Music A starting point of looking at the meaning of music is to consider the idea that music has some sort of link between the way it is performed, and those who perform it. This leads to a question of authenticity. Authenticity is a multi-faceted subjective word that can mean different things for different people. Consequently when the term â€Å"authentic† is used, I will use it to answer the question of: What does it mean for music to be played authentically? Using â€Å"authentic† this way allows me to define it as a mode in which originality functions towards the true meaning of the music s intent. This definition, as we shall see, does not escape some of the conundrums of musical meaning. In fact, these conundrums might destroy the concept of authenticity as even something that should be talked about in musical theory. In Music, Nicholas Cook claims that musical authenticity is rooted in the subj ective way that our thinking about music has meaning for us, as an individual1 Cook s claim looks at the origins of rock music in the blues, sung and played, by â€Å"Black Americans in the deep South.†2 In this frame of view, the music was seen as an authentic expression that came from the soul of the performer.†3 This expressive claim of musical originality sets up a point of contrast with the idea of performances in a tradition of opera s and concerts, that had been part of the more classical theory of art fromShow MoreRelated90s Grunge Fashion Essay1559 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophy to architecture to literature to music and numerous other areas. Postmodernism marks a departure from modernism which has been seen, by some commentators, as ending sometime after World War Two (GIVE LYOTARD QUOTE AFTER AUSWITZ). Postmodernism also explores the idea that there is no longer authenticity in the world, everything is a copy of a copy and that people now live in a world o f excessive consumerism. As Jarmusch remarks in Copy, copy, copy, â€Å"Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existentRead MoreThe Youth Culture Of Punk1710 Words   |  7 Pages often employing an anti-social mentality. â€Å"Punks managed to upset everyone† (Brake 1985, p. 81) and used the concept of bricolage to violate commodity and conformity to achieve this in many cases. Brake (1985, p. 81) further discusses the use of the swastika as bricolage by punks â€Å"used to enrage those who would encompass them, a symbol of contempt, worn cosmetically, denuded of meaning†¦ for punks it was removed from its Nazi setting and replaced as shock-provoking jewellery†. This in itself showsRead MoreAnalysis Of Ruth Ozeki s My Year Of Meats Essay1395 Words   |  6 PagesA central theme within Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats is the idea of authenticity. It appears in the very core of the show My American Wife!, where the goal is to find â€Å"authentic,â €  â€Å"attractive† wives with attractive families and lifestyles so that BEEF-EX can make meat look appealing to Japanese viewers. However, many characters in the book have different views on what authenticity means, and the definitive definition is never revealed by Ozeki. In fact, My American Wife!, the authentic reality showRead MoreRichard Attenborough s Film Gandhi1007 Words   |  5 Pagesdictionary celebrity means someone who is famous or the state of being famous (in today s world Celebrity is usually used to identify someone in sports or entertainment sector). A political leader seemed to be a celebrity according to this meaning and that is the reason why I selected Gandhi, as celebrity. The specific text that I worked on was Richard Attenborough s movie Gandhi released in the year 1982. There are lot of other sources about Gandhi. One could work on Gandhi s autobiographyRead MoreLiterary Theories And Literary Criticism1318 Words   |  6 PagesShakespear e, was anti-Semitic. †¢ One could not simply answer yes/no. Research needed to be done and the text needed to be studied and analysed. †¢ You needed to look into the cultural history of the play to come to a conclusion. (Study social classes; point of view of the Jews). †¢ By studying the cultural history of the given work reveals a deeper meaning of the text as well as seeing what the history is about. Post-colonialism - the extension of civilization 1. †¢ Joseph-Ernest Renan †¢ Analyses, explainsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Coal Miner s Daughter 1364 Words   |  6 Pagesdirection, costumes, makeup, visual effects, sound design, editing, music, script, performance, direction, scene analysis, and historical analysis. All these elements of the film combined help make â€Å"Coal Miner’s Daughter† an exceptional and intriguing film. If even one of these elements of film were lacking the movie would suffer, but all components come together to tell a story about a woman that changed the world of country music. In order for a film to be believable the world of the charactersRead MoreTheme Of Neorealism In Ladri Di Biciclette1348 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican audiences) is an artful manifestation of the Italian Neorealism. The film through numerous narrative aspects captures realistic snapshot into the fictional life of a working class family in post WWII Italy, and even has viewers question their concept of human morality. One of the most noticeable Neorealism elements to the film is its story world. Esteemed film theorist David Bordwell defines a film’s story world as the agent, circumstances, and the surroundings of the film. Through further examinationRead MoreThe Punk Rock Movement3035 Words   |  13 Pagesonly invented a new music genre and influenced generations of artists (Barnes, 2013), but also embodied the dissatisfaction with the British socio-political situation in the 1970s and the desire for a change. Figure 2.1.2 uses the Artist Brand Identity Framework (O Reilly, 2013) to capture the main aspects of Lydon s private, professional and physical self. Appendix 1 shows two pictures of John Lydon to provide an evidence of the distinctive and aggressive look mentioned in the frameworkRead MoreThe Role of Music in Forming and Transforming Identities2290 Words   |  9 Pagesand cultural traditions, discuss the role of music in forming and transforming identities.’ Introduction This essay will explore the role of music with regards to the formation and transformation of identities within the ‘emo’ subculture contrasting it to the dance music tradition. The subculture of emo music engulfed many young adults of today’s generation including myself and those who were drawn to its spectrum and their affiliation to the music will allow for an in-depth analysis of pointsRead MoreEmotive Leadership Theory And Perspective Essay1722 Words   |  7 Pagesrelationships and building emotional bonds. Jackson and Parry imply that charisma can create a feeling of collectiveness for followers and that personality is a process. It can be argued that emotive leadership can be strategically implemented, employing authenticity and and leverage of shared ethical beliefs to generate positive relationships and a sense of unity. The lack of research surrounding the theory as an independent methodology in its own right is apparent. However a trend is emerging from contemporary