Here are 3 questions for discussion based on the reading: 1. How might Adler's separation of musicology into historical and systematic approaches apply to the study of popular music? What are the benefits and limitations of each approach? 2. What are the implications of Eco, Foucault, and Barthes' ideas about authorship and the open work for how meaning is created and interpreted in popular music? How might this challenge traditional notions of musical analysis? 3. What role do social and cultural contexts play in interpreting popular music according to these theoretical perspectives? How might understanding these contexts enhance musical analysis?

1. Dr Paul Carr

2. 1. Introduce students to the study of various
forms of popular music, including varying
modes of communication such as recordings,
performances, music videos, as texts.
2. Develop critical and analytical skills in
reference to various theoretical and analytical
approaches to the texts
3. Further develop students’ critical thinking,
writing and presentational skills.

3. Monday Jan 14 2013 to Monday 18th March.
Possibly one week study leave in between?
Will include an additional one day session for
group presentations.
Easter Break: Friday March 22 to Sunday 14th April
22/4/13 – Revision Session
3/5/12 – Written Assignments Due

4.  Input to Wiki and class discussion (10%)
 Group presentation (30%) Date TBC – probably
during Study Week
 Written essay (60%) Due Date: May 3th

5.  Document a 2000 word essay that focuses on a
specific aspect of musicology (See assignment
brief for details)

6.  In groups organized by the module leader,
organize and present a 10 minute presentation
on a given subject area (See assignment brief
for details)

8.  Blackboard
 My Blog:
 The Library!
 The Online Library!

9.  Some indicative questions about music
 Although appearing as a ‘product’ – it must also be considered as a
process? It is made – it does not just happen?
 Although it can be replicated in recordings, it cannot be recreated in
exactly the same form?
 It should have the capacity to please?
 It is created for humans – to be experienced through the senses (mainly
the ears)?
 It has unity and somehow seems complete (unless it has been
abandoned)?
 It is created from the perspective of the composers’ perspective of a vision
of ‘the whole’?

10.  Term first used in Germany to describe the
academic study of European Art Music.
 Originally concerned with the analysis of
autonomous, ‘great’ master works from a
theoretical or historical perspective.
 Until the later years of the 20th Century,
musicologists did not really engage with
popular music. This was for two reasons:

11. 1. It was considered ‘inferior’, not having the
‘authenticity’ of ‘Art’ music or even ‘Folk’
music.
2. The vernacular/social foundations challenged
the notion of an autonomous art form.
Over the last 30+ years, popular music based
musicology has emerged, and is still
developing.

12.  Enables us to decipher meaning from music,
using theoretical knowledge, aural skills, and
analytical principles.
 Enables us to better understand the appeal of
certain music forms.
 Enables us to better understand how certain
music and genres function.
 Enables us to potentially relate a research
methodology to our own music.
 Acts as a potential foundation for your
dissertation!!

13. 1. Can music communicate anything beyond notes,
sounds and textures? How/Why/Why Not?
2. Is this ‘meaning’ universal or personal?
3. What ‘caused’ the music and/or meaning (the author,
society, our reception, technology, etc)?
4. What does the music inform me about a band or
composer (psychoanalysis)?
5. Listen: George Benson – ‘Give Me the Night’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0e7OyxFsxQ

14. 1. Can we/how do we communicate this meaning to
others?
2. What voice is analysing the music (composer,
producer, performer, listener)?
3. How does the ‘methodology we adopt impact what we
discover about music, and how aware are we of how
we use theory?
4. How aware or we of the
cultural/historical/sociological ‘gap’ between
ourselves and the music we are examining?

16.  Wrote pioneering article entitled ‘The Scope,
Method and Aim of Musicology’ in 1885 (Available
Under Learning Materials/Reading Materials in
Blackboard).
 Separated musicology into two categories:
1. Historical: Separated music history into epochs,
periods and nations. Led to sub-divisions such as
ethnomusicology and historiography.
2. Systematic: Analysed the internal characteristics
of music such as harmony and melody. Led to
specific theories on harmony, melody, etc.

17.  Believed that music had no direct impact on ‘extra musical’
feelings.
 Any feelings we do encounter are a by-product of the
music’s beauty.
 Beauty [is not] in the eye of the be holder – but independent.
Influenced by Kant.
 "If the contemplation of something beautiful arouses
pleasurable feelings, this effect is distinct from the beautiful
as such. I may, indeed, place a beautiful object before an
observer with the avowed purpose of giving him pleasure,
but this purpose in no way affects the beauty of the object.
The beautiful is and remains beautiful though it arouses no
emotion whatever, and though there be no one to look at it.
In other words, although the beautiful exists for the
gratification of an observer, it is independent of him."
(Hanslick, The Beautiful In Music, pp. 9-10. )
 Listen Brian Eno – ‘Music For Airports’ – what and where is
the emotion? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go3X-
v2PWOE

19.  Denied the ‘reality’ of the material world, considering
forms and events to be shadows of ‘perfect versions of
themselves’ – ‘The World of Forms’.
 Plato differentiated between the ever changing world
we perceive, and the ‘World of Forms’ – which is
permanent, perfect and universal.
 Speculated that the only way to engage with the world
we see is through REASON – not via experience (as we
can’t trust it!). (If the world changes – then so can our
account of it!)

20.  Plato believed humans had Two sides to them
– Body and Soul.
 The Soul had two subdivisions –
 The Irrational (linked to emotions and the
physical body). Perception therefore is limited
to that possible by the physical senses.
 The Rational – (linked to Spirituality), and able
to perceive objects and events as they really
are.
 This forms the basis for differences today
between Rationalism and Empiricism.

21.  The theory of truth is not sensory, but
deductive/intellectual.
 Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) – believed we
should doubt every belief about what we
perceive as reality.
 Knowledge can only be obtained by REASON,
not Sensory Experience.
 Regarded there to be a Dualism between the
Mind and Body.

22.  Knowledge comes through Experience and
Sensory Perception.
 All knowledge is Personal.
 Everyone has their own reality!

23.  Thinkers were often preoccupied with the relationship
(or the distance!) of The Subject (IE You!) to The Object
(In our case music) or the Author (IE a performer or
composer), who can be known through the text)
 Interested in the relationship between ‘Part’ and
‘Whole’ when understanding a text.
 Each part we understand increases our understanding
of the whole, after which our opinion can be revised.
 The initial listening of the part, gives us pre
conceptions of the whole.
 This is called the Hermeneutic Circle.

25.  http://prezi.com/bhd92b9qozpx/musicologyt
he-analysis-of-text/
 Listen to start of Dark Side of the Moon. Where
does the meaning lie?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=328WhjAXpcs

26.  Look at the musicological model at
http://prezi.com/bhd92b9qozpx/musicologythe-analysis-of-
text/ and these lecture notes
 Briefly consider if you have any comments about approaches you
can adopt regarding how to understand and write about music.
 Read: The Scope Method and Aim of Musicology by Guido Adler (All
Materials under Learning Materials/Reading Materials).
 Read: Extracts of either: Umberto Eco: ‘The Poetics of the Open
Work’ (From his book The Open Work) or Michel Foucault ‘What is
an Author?’, or Roland Barthes ‘The Death of the Author’. What
does is it mean for popular music? – Leave some opinions on my
blog - http://paulcarrmusings.wordpress.com/.
 We will discuss in class next week.