Theodor Adorno's Use Of Pseudo-Individualism In Popular Music

The music of the troubadours and the trobairitz flourished from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries. Their lyrics are frequently referred to as the origin of modern European literature and some of the finest European poetry. The Middle Ages was a period in which religious music was far more commonly accepted. Nonetheless, the troubadours and the trobairitz were able to rise to prominence and have a significant influence on music and literature for several centuries. During their prime, they popularized the concept of fin amor along with several genres such as canso, pastourelle, and salut d’amor.

In addition, some of the messages portrayed by rock artists go against social conduct. Nevertheless, others believe that it is immoral to advocate discrimination of any type of artistic expression. A compromise can be made based on the concept of the power of choice. Moreover, some are under the impression that it is up to the listener to decide what to listen to. If a particular kind of music generates negative affects on the listener in terms of their attitude and social conduct, as proposed by the opposition of rock’s influence,

The music of the sixties went through tremendous change. It shaped mush of the music we hear today. From New Orleans came Jazz, from the East Coast came rock, from the West Coast came Psychedelic rock, and from England came the Invasion.

In this essay we will analyze two modern musical pieces. These pieces are namely Sonata V from John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes, and Caballito Negro by George Crumb. Composed in mid twentieth century, both pieces made a great success and they are worth examining in terms of the historical and subjective values affecting their achievements.

It is said by critics that the political content of Beethoven's works after this only shows a negative relationship to the outer world. Theodor Adorno, one of those critics, interpreted Beethoven's withdrawal from the affirmative manner of his heroic style as a negation of false promises of the Enlightenment and Revolution:

In this essay I am going to give a brief history of John and Alan Lomax, discussing how they came to be involved with the collection of cowboy ballads. I will then go on to talk about

No other composer or musical artist has made as big of an impact on music as Ludwig Van Beethoven. He influenced many other composers, and made some of the most beautiful pieces that are still played today. It is truly amazing that he was able to master his craft and become questionably the greatest composer that has ever lived, despite having a condition that would seem to make composing music impossible.

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

Throughout history, music has been seen as a medium in which different people all over the world can relate. Adorno criticizes, however, that songs that have the most “hits” on the top music charts or are most listened to, otherwise known as popular music, are being produced for and consumed by the masses as a commodity. He identifies popular music as being a part of a culture used for capitalism, and that we as listeners, are falling into a trap in which we believe songs have individuality and that we have the freedom to choose what we listen to. He argues that in reality these popular songs are all standardized and made to seem different through various elements that are added. In this paper, I will display how Adorno’s critique of popular music being used for capitalism applies to the song,1-800-273-8255, by hip-hop and rap artist Logic, through its standardized elements in both its content and marketing; however, I will argue that although it contains these elements, the audience is actively listening and responding to the song as it brings awareness to mental health and suicide prevention that is changing and saving lives all around us.

The Sixties were an exciting revolutionary period of time with great social and technological change. Some people called it the “decade of discontent” because of the race riots in Detroit and La, and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Other people called it the decade of “peace, love, and harmony”. It was called this because of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. (Britannica) The sixties were about assassination, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women’s liberation, Vietnam, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. All of these components caused a revolutionary change in the world of popular Music.

Adorno therefore sees Wagner's musical gestures as manifestations of the symbolic capitalist power Wagner held as a composer over his audience. Adorno explains, rather violently, that the overriding gesture of Wagner's music is beating and striking blows, and "through such a system of gestures Wagner's social impulses are translated into technique" (Adorno,Search, 30). Furthermore, this violent metaphor of beating is used as a means to reduce Wagner’s music to simple and regressive forms. Adorno goes on to explain that Wagner's music therefore has the tendency to disguise the relationship

Born in 1903, Theodore Adorno is one of the most prominent figures in the Frankfurt school of communications, a school of social theory and philosophy which studied the effects and structure of the media. In 1945, Adorno published one of his most famous articles, “A Social Critique of Radio Music”. In his somehow controversial essay, Adorno claims that the music played on the radio reflects broader social behavior patterns, that benefits the power elite and numbs the masses. Adorno goes on and state four axioms he believed to be true regarding the existing capitalist society, including how we live in a society of commodities. The main problem he dissects in his article, is that now music is being treated as a commodity as well. Further,

Throughout history, music has evolved and branched off into many different categories, each of which have distinct styles and orchestrations; there is classical music that is centuries old and today there is modern contemporary music that is often synthesized or played with electronic instruments. There are also many ways that the two styles can cross over each other; this is seen in popular music and a lot of video game music. Though many people cannot see any similarities between modern and classical music, modern music is really an evolution of classical music; the roots of modern music go back to classical era.

Popular music is often one of the best lenses we have through which to view our own cultural orientation. Many of the artistic and experimental shifts in popular music have mirrored changes in our own society. For instance, the emergence of Elvis Presley as a public figure would signal the start of a sexual revolution and the growth in visibility of a rebellious youth culture. Similarly, the folk and psychedelic music of the 1960s was closely entangled with the Civil Rights, anti-war and social protest movements. In this regard, we can view popular music as an artifact through which to better understand the time and place in which it is produced. In light of this, the state of popular music today may suggest troubling things about our society.

It is no doubt that music has played a vital role in our society. Everything from loud, head-banging concerts to religious ceremonies have utilized the medium of music because of its awe-inspiring qualities. Music is basically the control of sound. We can control this sound by varying the pitch, tempo, octaves, dynamics and so on. There are thousands of ways that we can use music and to shape it to how we want to hear it. But how much has music influenced the way we think today? Why is it so popular?