What constitutes "music?" The dictionary, no doubt, defines it as combining words or sounds with harmonies, etc. OK, but what is it?
I was thinking about this the other day, listening to some just terrible sounds coming out of a kid's radio. Was that music? I don't think anyone can make the case it was at all "harmonic," "melodious," or anything remotely close to either. What about gangsta rap? Words are just said with some sort of instrumental play in the background. Hmmmm.
And was what the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan did "music?" I heard the Stones today, "Angie" I believe. Jagger was terrible if not worse! I turned it right off. Now, I like the Stones' instrumental play, but Jagger is rotten. And Dylan????
And, I was on hold interminably today waiting for a real person to talk to (yes, I pressed "3") and the background was some piano stuff (a concerto?). And, to be honest, it sure didn't sound very melodious or harmonic to me either.
Can anything be defined as music? If so, does that degrade what might be real music? Of course, "music" to whom?
What a silly thing to think and write about....
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About Me
- Ron Marinucci
- I have been married to Karen for 47 of my 73 years. I have two sons, Mike and Matt, both adults (at least in chronological age), and three grandchildren. I am retired, I suppose. I continue to teach college history, part-time; I still enjoy it, although the increasing amount of silly paperwork is grating and will likely be what drives me to fully retire. I have a BA in history from Amherst College and three graduate degrees. I do a little writing, too, some of which actually brings in some money.
1 comment:
The Stones are a great rock and roll band. Not all music has to have great vocals.You are likely comparing everyone to Marvin and Smokey, which is unfair.
As for "gangsta rap"- Currently, rap music is terrible and holds no significance. But in past years it was huge in the cultural sense. N.W.A., Public Enemy, Tupac, Biggie, etc. In the inner cities rap was the Bible. In a sense it was religion and even sparked "wars" between rappers from different locales. Think about the effect basketball has on the people in the book "Heaven is a Playground." Rap music had the same effect on those communities. It is an interesting to think about how important these things are to those communities.
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