Music genre
Create an annotated playlist analyzing a musical genre of your choice through ten indicative recordings. For each item on the list, write a paragraph (4-5 sentences) that places it into the context of the genre, elaborates how it fits into the artist’s larger work, and highlights key aesthetic elements. Your document will also include a headnote that introduces the genre and the major themes, concepts, or musical streams you would like to illuminate within it (a sample template is below). Compile the actual playlist on Spotify and include the link in your document OR insert links to audio or video sources for each piece into your document.
Your playlist should specifically analyze how a music practice has been shaped by the music industry. As you research your genre, pay attention to its origins, roots, and initial emergence into a broader industry space. In particular, interrogate the differences between the practice of the form, how it is represented in recordings, and how it has been marketed. Questions to consider include:
- Where, how, and by whom did the genre originate?
- What is its sonic profile?
- What other genres or styles fed into it?
- What are the primary representations and/or stereotypes associated with it?
- Who is the music marketed to?
- Who actually listens to it?
- Who are prominent artists in the genre and how have they engaged with the music industry through it?
For artists and work samples, include examples that are representative of the main contours of the genre or that might be considered essential listening. Also include examples that push against the core of the style, raise questions about the genre’s definition, or perhaps even attempt to redefine it. Rather than a static portrait of a genre, think about how to represent the evolving nexus of images, people, practices, and sounds that make up the discourse around the genre (Ogren’s portrait of jazz is a good example). How can you capture the political stakes of genre definition in a playlist that is compelling and dynamic?
Genres may be from any historical era or place but must be contextualized for the listener. If you have questions about your selection, check it out with your GSI in advance. Please do not select a genre we have focused on closely in class.
Additional tips:
- Think of the playlist as a listening guide that will introduce someone unfamiliar with the genre to its major contours.
- You will need to listen to more pieces than the total ten in order to gain a broad understanding of the genre and then narrow down your list.
- Research your genre in published books, articles, web sources, and recorded media. Make sure you check the verity of non-scholarly sources, cross-checking with vetted sources if need be. FYI: Wikipedia is not an appropriate secondary source. It can be a great resource for gaining a general portrait of something but you must track down the cited works to verify the information and that the text itself is legitimate. You might consider consulting a Music Librarian for help finding resources.
- Quotations or paraphrased information should be properly cited in your playlist document. You can select any format, as long as you are consistent and provide identifying information and attribution. Please speak with your GSI if you have questions about what is expected in terms of citation.
Sample template:
Genre Name
This introductory headnote tells some broad contextual details about the genre. You can also lay out your themes or main threads here and how your list speaks to them. This section should be single-spaced.
If you make a Spotify list, place the link here: [link]
1. “Title of Piece” [if you are linking to each piece, do it here]
Album name, Label, Recording date
Composer: Name
Performer: Name
Each annotation should be specific to that piece. You can highlight key musical features, information about its writer or performer, or how it relates to the genre. You can quote an artist or secondary source but make sure to state that you are doing so via a citation that gives the source of the statement. Annotation text should be single-spaced.
