2192674

5 Stories and Styles

One of the questions that we ask ourselves all the time in life is this: how has the world

changed to what it is now? It’s a question of past, present, and future all at once: what we are,

what led us here, and how what we are now can predict what we are to become. There are many

ways to answer this question, but I think the best way to answer is to listen to the music. Music

has power and impact on people like me. I’m an aspiring singer-songwriter, a producer, sound

mixer and engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. Like many other musically gifted adolescents, I

write and compose based on what matters to me in my life, and about how the world has changed

to become what it is for me today. But, as a musician, I have my own way to answer the question

of “how has the world changed to what it is now?” Music changes over time: it evolves, when

new genres and styles are created; it splits, when subgenres are created and the genre will take on

new tones and narrative structures that have never been used before; and most of all, it affects us.

My aspiration to be a musician, and my fascination with these ideas, have led me to the question

I’d like to focus on the most: how can different genres of music reflect the different social issues

and conflicts that ever-changing times and people face?

To explore this, we must start from the beginning, a very good place to start: that was a

quote from The Sound of Music, a musical film from the 1960’s that was both acclaimed and

recognized for it’s hearkening back to the first great “art music”: classical music. With both deep

roots in American history and also having a widely influential impact on music, the genre set the

template for popular music - one that lasted for centuries to come (Wiegert). One of the most

well-known, and earliest, examples of this is opera. Opera was one of the first forms of musical

art to come from classical music, and one of the first musical genres to combine the arts of drama

and music. During the late 16th century (in the midst of the Renaissance), artists, writers and
 2192674

architects became interested in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome (Nicholas). However,

classical music has its own noble history just like the rest of the music types. Every culture and

tradition has its own form of classical music that is played with the assistance of different

instruments e.g. Indians, Chinese, Arabs and Europeans had their own traditions for classical

music. Classical music is a broad, somewhat inexact term, referring to music produced, or rooted

in the traditions of art, ecclesiastical and concert music; the kind of music found in stores and

performed regularly by symphonies around the world. Some people consider classical music as

Western art music because many of the major and most famous and acclaimed composers were

from Europe, and primarily active in the time from 1750 to 1800: Vivaldi was Italian; Beethoven

and Mozart were Austrian; Bach was German. Classical music performances would vary in their

sizes, as both large orchestras and small ensembles - and the instrumentations used for

composition included instruments invented as early as medieval times and as contemporary as

violins, violas, cellos and string basses. Classical music also became a very influential and iconic

form of music used during wartime - the baroqueness of the instrumentation, often paired with

singers using relatively laconic lyricism and wide-spreading octave ranges, classical music

would help promote the ideas of soldiers succeeding and coming home.

In an interview with Dr. Allison Lloyd, a music teacher with a B.A. in Music Theory and

an M.M. in Early Music Vocal Technique from Indiana State University, she speaks of classical

music being the most influential genre of all time, and how much of popular music’s most

common tropes and techniques drew from musical classicism. One of the points that she

reiterated most prominently was that classical music’s origin was in religion. “Opera was one of

the first forms of musical art to come from classical music,” she pointed out, “and it was very

much so inspired by church, and the church-centered society of that time.” (Lloyd). While she
 2192674

continually jumps back and forth between eras while talking about more musical genres than just

classical music, she speaks of classical music’s evolution over time as: “the most controversial.

When classical music incorporated elements of secular music, after the latter started growing in

its popularity due to it’s introduction to Western audiences during the Renaissance period, many

prominent church leaders labeled it as blasphemous.” This led to a change and expansion in the

genre’s audience: soon, classical music was not only for church but was also used in many

different genres at once. While it’s influence is immeasurable, it can be commonly characterized

as baroque music.

However, in situations like wartime, another genre was born: one that was not a subgenre

of classical music but rather a whole genre and style of its own: soul/blues. It was popularized in

the early American wars, especially World War I, and first became popular when soldiers

(oftentimes African-Americans and those of black descent) would bring one or two instruments

with them in trenches (usually guitars and harmonicas, which have become the two staple

instruments of stereotypical blues music) and write songs about their lives at home. While blues

was not invented by WWI soldiers, it is the primary example of where music started growing in

its maturity and in its distinct tone. This was due to the often somber and yearning-for-a-better-

life subject matter and tone of its lyricism and minimalist instrumentation. Protest music has

been around for centuries: as long as people have been getting fed up with the status quo, they’ve

been singing about it. More of the first widely known protest songs in the US came from slaves,

mostly derived from hymns with themes of freedom or escape (Henwood). This same type of

music was carried home after the war ended, and led to blues (specifically African-American

blues, despite the fact that this was the only popular form of blues of the time) being

characterized by "personal woes in a world of harsh reality: a lost love, the cruelty of police
 2192674

officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, [and] hard times". Blues went on to become a

popular form of music that was acclaimed for its storytelling abilities, and the first subgenre to

form with blues was a sort of mashup between blues and ragtime: the latter being a genre that

peaked in its popularity between the late 1890’s and the birth of blues. Ragtime was also

characterized by it’s popularity and incorporation into music by the African-American

community, especially in the Southern United States, as many music scholars, critics and

audiences widely recognize ragtime as being birthed in St. Louis, Mississippi (Blesh, 187). As it

was a musical style that would come to be remembered as a “pop-ier” take on jazz, ragtime and

blues went hand in hand with each other and their roles in genres that were storytelling mediums

for African-Americans to write and compose music both romanticizing their relatively low-

quality lives (compared to that of white people) and their low rankings in society in a world that

was ever-changing, yet still racist and exisiting in the shadow of Jim Crow laws and segregation.

However, the golden age of jazz in the United States abruptly ended in the late 1950’s, in a time

when the whole idea of what music was to its audiences changed: the era when the counter-

culture began.

Going into the 1960’s, the counter-culture was characterized by people that were fed up

with where politics and their governments had brought them in the world. The beginning of the

decade also marked many endings: the Cold War was finished, and so was peace (as many

people interpreted it), when the U.S.’ involvement in the Vietnam War was made. This triggered

an anti-establishment movement across the Western world in this time, involving large groups of

people, predominantly young people and youth, who rejected many of the beliefs that were

commonly held by society at large; and this was perhaps reflected on the most by folk artists.

The folk of this time - commonly referred to as ‘contemporary folk’ - was largely characterized
 2192674

by chant-like anthems and sing-a-longs with politically motivated messages and themes. The era

also saw the rise in popularity of singer-songwriters, as many of them were folk musicians that

spoke out prominently in this time and became counter-culture icons: these included artists such

as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Lennon-McCartney, and Jimi Hendrix. “Folk was a

tool singers utilized to get their political agendas across,” Dr. Lloyd pointed out, while talking

about how the counter-culture musicians wrote and performed their songs. This point was further

supported in a similar yet separate interview with Carson Dowhan, an established singer-

songwriter pursuing a degree in Musical Studies at Oberlin College. When talking about singer-

songwriters that have inspired him, he spoke in great lengths of the folk musicians of the

counter-culture era. “Folk music is about people, and sharing stories,” he said, before

emphasizing, “‘folk’" means people. It's a powerful genre for political music because it's simple,

and simplicity is powerful. Not everyone can play a guitar, but anyone can repeat a chant or sing

a song.” (Dowhan). This hearkened back to a similar point that Dr. Lloyd made in the prior-

mentioned interview: “With a rhythym that could stay in your mind like an earworm, [folk]

quickly became a popular genre once again, and with a contemporary audience.” (Lloyd).

While soul and jazz were controversial in the time of it’s creation, rock - one of its first

subgenres - quickly became popular, to the point in which it changed from a subgenre to a whole

genre and style of music of its own. While there are several views as to where exactly the rock

genre got up and going, music scholars and historians share a near-unanimous opinion on who its

first audience consisted of: the teenagers of the baby boom generation. The 1950s witnessed the

evolution of a singular teenage society with its own highly ritualized dress and grooming,

behavioral, and sexual patterns - and all of this was reflected on by rock music (Dubofsky, 436).

It got teens jamming out to the beat of Elvis Presley’s diluted black rock music, rocking around
 2192674

the clock with Bill Haley and his Comets, and connecting with other artists of the era that were

slowly growing in popularity - icons that were idolized by the teens who didn’t want to go along

with the status quo. And many believe that rock originated in the west with the dawn of rock &

roll, led by widely popular figures like Presley - which was both criticized and increasingly

studied and praised for its derivativeness from soul and blues, from the African-American

communities. However that is far from the case. It all started off during the post-war

urbanization of America. The popular music of the late 1940s included country music, folk

music, the blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and classical music. Basically rock music hails from a

blend of various popular music genres at that time in the United States of America. Rock music

started off in the late 1940s when people wanted to move out from the slow beat jazz music and

the slow electrified blues music to a much faster beat & rhythm filled tune at that time.

Unfortunately, rock, which was partially influenced in it's origins by country music, produced

few well known African American stars (Ca). The performance of black music by rock artists

ranging from Pat Boone to John Lennon to Janis Joplin is held as contiguous with a tradition of

cultural plunder stretching at least as far back as antebellum blackface minstrelsy. As Slate

Magazine journalist Jack Hamilton once wrote, rock-and-roll became white in large part because

of stories people told themselves about it, which further contributed to the idea that the music’s

re-racialization was just one more iteration of a broad historical phenomenon of white-on-black

cultural theft (Hamilton).

It was these same sentiments of the whitening of non-white music and messages that led

to the formation of what is debatedly the most popular genre of today: hip-hop music (Ryan).

Further adding to the irony is that rap, in its origins, was a hipper and funky take on rap:

predominantly made of African-American artists from the start, many of hip-hop first and most
 2192674

well-known ‘classic’ hits were spoken-word-esque voices ‘rapping’ over rock instrumentals.

However, it was quickly recognized and widely acknowledged by audiences as ‘the next big

thing’: it was a captivating genre that made people talking about “rocking the rhythym that’ll

make your body rock” seem like rockstars. It brought out a fun in music that was previously

unparalleled, especially due to it’s simplicity and widely relatable messages. It painted portraits

of people like “junkies in the alley with a baseball bat” as characters that could have just as much

appeal and importance as the characters and themes of other popular songs of the time - the late

70’s and early 80’s saw the fall of traditional rock and the rise of glam rock, power pop, and

musical experimentation that oftentimes favored avant-gardism over being ‘jams’. For this

reason, many of the gems and most memorable artists and/or movements in this musical era were

that of hip-hop artists.

Hip-hop also gained both acclaim and respect in the music community for it’s reaching

back to artists of the past, oftentimes soul and funk artists known for their eccentric personalities:

this form of ‘sampling’ both ideas and instrumental similarities to these artists quickly became a

staple of hip-hop. It payed tribute to greats ranging from musical legends like James Brown, who

could easily “dig rapping”, to even literary legends like Kunta Kinte (frequently referenced by

early golden-age hip-hop pioneer, Big Daddy Kane, among many other artists). However, this

quickly split hip-hop into the two subgenres of itself that still define it and remain around to

these days: pop-rap and “real” rap. Pop-rap was often characterized by the early products of hip-

hop itself; artists such as the Sugarhill Gang, LL Cool J, and MC Hammer were all reknown for

being easy-listens, oftentimes rapping and writing about things that were uncontroversial and

radio-friendly. While these artists still received acclaim and were acknowledged as spearheading

the development of a new genre, they recieved more polarized reactions and sentiments from
 2192674

within the hip-hop community itself. This was especially clear from the late 1980’s and

throughout the 90’s, which saw the rise and fall in the popularity of the “golden age of hip-hop”,

and also the birth of alternative hip-hop. This came to be characterized by sentiments that were

more politically motivated, as hip-hop artists became predominantly black and would start

focusing more on writing to acknowledge social issues and criticize the racism and ‘dark truths’

that the African-American community especially were constantly and continually subject to.

Quite often, as hip-hop historian and journalist John Glynn writes, this form of rap music tended

to have a more realistic outlook than hip-hop music, albeit a depressing one compared to past

popular forms the genre (Glynn). This is a widely shared opinion, especially in African-

American communities that are subject to lives of violence, like ‘ghetto’ societies. Artists/groups

such as Eric B. and Rakim, NWA, The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, the Notorious B.I.G., Nas

and more were examples of focusing on writing/rapping about social and racial issues that

plagued the hip-hop community, and these groups would earn both controversy from popular

music listeners and radio stations, and also acclaim from the African-American community,

oftentimes more acclaim and respect than pop-rap would garner. Another form of alternative hip-

hop, while not always having the characteristics of lashing out at corrupt social systems and

ideas in the world, would rebel musically and instrumentally.

Through sonic experimentation, innovation in production techniques, and a wider array

of types of music sampled, these artists and musicians were characterized by bringing some of

the more unique musicalities to the entire genre, and introducing new ideas of sound mixing,

sampling, and instrumentation; therefore, this form of alternative hip-hop saw the popularization

of producers. Artists such as these were Pete Rock and Rick Rubin - individual

musicians/producers both reknown for incorporating noise music and sonic experimentation into
 2192674

their music - Madlib, DJ Premier, the Beastie Boys (who frequently collaborated with Rick

Rubin), Dr. Dre (who rose to fame from his involvement as a founding member, rapper and

frequent producer of NWA), Puff Daddy, and more. Along with other members of the alternative

hip-hop community, they all contributed to changing the landscape of the hip-hop genre forever.

Finally, all of these genres have contributed to the evolution of music itself throughout

history; but in retrospect, the evolution tells us a story too. In all of these ways, and with all these

different stories and styles, music has brought us all together more. It helps us understand one

another - where we’ve been and where we will go - and gives us opportunities to look back on

the artists that have paved the way for where musicians and artists are today. It helps us

collaborate more: in the present day, musicians of different genres and backgrounds are working

together more than ever, and as time goes on they will continue to do so. That’s the power that

music has: it’s helps us all, as people, to learn more about one another, to know what others

before us have been through, and to remind us all that we are not alone in who we are.

Works Cited

Blesh, Rudi. They All Played Ragtime - The True Story Of An American Music. Read

Books Ltd., 2013.

Ca, Joan. "Why Did Rock Music Decline And Can It Make A Comeback?". Spinditty,

2019, https://spinditty.com/genres/rock-music-comeback. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.

Dowhan, Carson. Singer-songwriter. Personal interview. 18 April 2019.

Dubofsky, Melvyn et al. The United States In The Twentieth Century. Prentice-Hall, 1978.
 2192674

Glynn, John. "Rap Vs Hip Hop: What Is The Difference?". I Am Hip-Hop Magazine,

2015, http://www.iamhiphopmagazine.com/rap-vs-hip-hop-difference/.

Hamilton, Jack. "How Rock And Roll Became White". Slate Magazine, 2019,

https://slate.com/culture/2016/10/race-rock-and-the-rolling-stones-how-the-rock-and-roll-

became-white.html.

Henwood, Bridgett. “The History of American Protest Music, from ‘Yankee Doodle’ to

Kendrick Lamar.” Vox, Vox, 22 May 2017,

www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/12/14462948/protest-music-history-america-trump-

beyonce-dylan-misty.

Lloyd, Allison. Music historian. Personal interview. 17 April 2019.

Nicholas, Jeremy. "A Brief History Of Classical Music |

Gramophone.Co.Uk".Gramophone.Co.Uk, 2019,

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/a-brief-history-of-classical-music.

Ryan, Patrick. "Rap Overtakes Rock As The Most Popular Genre Among Music Fans.

Here's Why.". Usatoday.Com, 2019,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/01/03/rap-overtakes-rock-most-popular-

genre-among-music-fans-heres-why/990873001/.

Wiegert, Megan Page. "Classical Music Is Actually The Best And Most Influential Genre". The

Odyssey Online, 2019, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/classical-music-influence-

modern-music.