post modern music - kramer

Media Theorist Jonathan Kramer says "the idea that postmodernism is less a surface style or historical period than an attitude. Kramer goes on to say 16 "characteristics of postmodern music, by which I mean music that is understood in a postmodern manner, or that calls forth postmodern listening strategies, or that provides postmodern listening experiences, or that exhibits postmodern compositional practices."
According to Kramer (Kramer 2002, 16–17), postmodern music":
1. is not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has aspects of both a break and an extension
2. is, on some level and in some way, ironic
3. does not respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of the past and of the present
4. challenges barriers between 'high' and 'low' styles
5. shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity
6. questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and populist values
7. avoids totalizing forms (e.g., does not want entire pieces to be tonal or serial or cast in a prescribed formal mold)
8. considers music not as autonomous but as relevant to cultural, social, and political contexts
9. includes quotations of or references to music of many traditions and cultures
10. considers technology not only as a way to preserve and transmit music but also as deeply implicated in the production and essence of music
11. embraces contradictions
12. distrusts binary oppositions
13. includes fragmentations and discontinuities
14. encompasses pluralism and eclecticism
15. presents multiple meanings and multiple temporalities
16. locates meaning and even structure in listeners, more than in scores, performances, or composers

Applying texts to the above theories



Tmiberland, Missy Elliot, Step Up 2 orginal mix

Point 1 - There is repution and continuation but it is also broken up, mixed around and changed, taking and adding certain sections to create a different sound.
Point 2 - Could may be ironic of normal hip hop music its in the same genre but at the same time is completely different, could be mocking hip hop artists which don't break any conventions and who are not postmodern.
Point 4 - High = classical, Low = r&b, pop, rock, hip hop etc. Postmodern music ignores these barries and deffinetly challenges them in every which way
Point 5 - This song is 4.41 which is slightly longer than the averge pop song but isnt particularly long. The structure of the song is mixed up little talking, changes randomly but not awarkwardly
Point 6 - deffinetly questions the fact that all styles of music are separate and breaks down these rules and does the opposite, this song doesnt so much the genres are all closley linked, rap, hip hop, pop, dance etc so yeh it does atcully!
Point 7 - deffinelty there is a constant chopping and changing of similar sounds the song is not a perfect similar tonal piece to form a mold. The song takes different parts of songs from Missy Elliot and other sources which new sounds to create one.
Point 8 - The music is deffinelty meant for now, the words, let your ass have the hicups, and other sentences, is not meant it a way to moral affend but as a dance move. These words in a different context or a different period of time would deffinetly mean something different.
Point 9 - intexuality??
Point 10 - deffinelty this song uses technology to create sounds for the song for example the hicup sound sounds like a voice been edited and many other aspects in the song.
Point 11 - Mixes different genres of music answered above
Point 12 - Binary oppisites are ingnored, not so much in this song as I feel the genres of music included are different but not binary opposites
Point 13 - Some of the transisions are not perfect but not uncomfortable the fragmentations and discontinuities add to the song and blend well which the song
Point 15 - this song was created for a movie and a dance, there for it is very in touch with the time and styles of movies and dancing and therfore music are around at this time
Point 16 - This track can be enjoyed personally but also collectivally (like a dance)



Stockhausen
helicopter string quartet

Point 1 - Yes, has a few aspects of repution, often hard to understand and hear because of the background noise which is the helicopter repetative sound which is part of the song. the beat.
Point 2 - ironic because its mocking everything that classical muisc stands for ie the name classic-al
Point 4 - Deffinetly challanges clasical music but doesnt really resemble any other genres of music
Point 5 - very long compared to normal song lengths but then again it is not excatly a normal ... not a song. And its completely mixed up.
Point 6 - deffinelty challenges classical music
Point 7 - its not tonal or atall a form, its to diverse to still a piece which you can listen to without having a headheache, which to me is not a song!
Point 8 - Music is a modern take on classical music and therfore breaks nearly all the classical music conventions, so this links to cultural, social and political contexts, constantly changing and developing.
Point 9 - it includes references to music traditions such as they are playing tradional instruments, intertexuality
Point 10 - it uses technolgy as a communication devise for each of the for string quartet players, and the helicopter flight technogoly to present this
Point 11 - it deffinetly embraces contradictions in the sense that it mixes up the idea of what is musically exceptable but to me it is not.
Point 12 - the helicopter and the four musicians is a binary opposite to normal classical music, a collection of many musicans in 1 room
Point 13 - deffinetly includes fragmentations and discontinuities, theres no perfect transisons which makes the music painful as there is no flow
Point 14 - thier are four so yes
Point 15 - it does present multiple meanings
Point 16 - personal to certain indiviuals, different meanings to different people



Alvin Lucier
'I am sitting in a room'

Point 1 - deffinelty applys word for word
Point 2 - ironic, because it starts of a speech and develops into music
Point 4 - no because it doesnt involve high or low styles it is in its own context, a new thing
Point 5 - Its 8.15 so its much longer than a average song, does not have a verse, just the same speech repeated again and again until its a new sound
Point 6 - no doesnt apply
Point 7 - the tone is constantly changing even though it is the same thing
Point 8 - ? it is a new idea which reflects culture of today
Point 9 - no, its its own thing
Point 10 - yes, it has been created from simple technology,completely
Point 11 - no
Point 12 - not really
Point 13 - fragmentations yes, gaps between the tape player
Point 14 - Its one thing so no
Point 15 - the meanings of the words are distorted to create a sound that could or could not be classed as music
Point 16 - personal because people can take different meanings and things from it



Prodigy, poison

Point 1 - yes, certain sounds are repeated and others are not in a random sounding mix
Point 4 - I sopose you could say, that the backing sound in the beging section is slightly classical with a heavy beat and lyrics over the top
Point 5 - 4 mins slighlty longer than the average track, does have different sections which are repated but because of the sounds created it sounds mixed up but it a funky enjoyable way!
Point 7 - breaks preconceptions of a mold of a song in a way because of the different tonal aspects and sounds incorporated
Point 8 - progidy do create modern sounds even there old stuff sounds fresh, so deffinelty the song is consinderting social and cultural needs of now
Point 9 - intertexuality - yes, basey sounds, regge sounds, electronic, dance, rap style singing, all sorts of styles mixed into one
Point 10 - a lot of the sounds in the song sound like technology made sounds
Point 11 - mix of styles, as stated above
Point 13 - sometimes not perfect transions which adds to the sound of the song, and gaps to add sespense of whats coming next
Point 14 - deffinetly more than one thing going on to create a great collective sound
Point 15 - yes cultural subject
Point 16 - can be personally but also collectivally



Black Label Society
fire it up

Point 1 - deffinely reputition, backing sound all the way through, thats the chourus, there are breaks and changes though
Point 2 - Could be ironic in the sense that its sexy rock, not also the case!
Point 5 - 5 mins slighlty longer that the average track, verse is the singing and chorus is the music, different
Point 7 - is tonal but does have slight but noicable changes
Point 8 - is relvant to cultural, social and political contexts, different take on rock its smoother, which is maybe what more people want to hear, as rock it now popular ie the rock/punk style is in!
Point 9 - inertexuality, the singing is more popie compared to most rock songs, and it has a electronic and even dancy feel
Point 10 - the electronic opening and sounds all the way through sound like they were produced through technology.
Point 11 - slighlty as its a softer rock
Point 14 - mixes different styles to create a different sound
Point 16 - both