Full Description
This collection of essays, first published in 1987, provides a sociological treatment of many musical forms - rock, jazz, classical - with special emphasis on the perspective of the practising musician. Among the topics covered are the legal structures governing musical production and the question of copyright; recording and production technology; the social character of musical style; and the impact of lyrical content, considered socially and historically.
Contents
1. Introduction Avron Levine White Part 1. The Social Character of Music 2. Performance as Ritual: Sketch for an Enquiry into the True Nature of a Symphony Concert Christopher Small 3. The Social Interpretation of Modern Jazz Alan Lewis 4. Towards a Sociology of Musical Styles John Shepherd Part 2. Words and Music 5. Why Do Songs Have Words? Simon Frith 6. The Price You Pay: An Introduction to the Life and Songs of Laurence Price Dave Harker Part 3. Convention and Constraint in Working Life 7. Popular Music and the Law: Who Owns the Song? Avron Levine White 8. A Professional Jazz Group Avron Levine White 9. Convention and Constraint Among British Semi-Professional Jazz Musicians Harry Christian Part 4. Recording Music 10. Technology in the Art of Recording Stephen Struthers 11. Coda: Making Sense of the Musical World John Blacking
