MUS 505 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: American Middle Class, Rhythm And Blues, Multitrack Recording

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Music
• Course: MUS 505
• Professor: Sean Bellaviti

Document Summary

Bookended between the swift decline of the big band era and the rock n roll explosion. This time is often regarded as a period of pronounced music conservatism. More than music is its relationship to the social and economic changes that are most telling of pop culture phenomena during this time period. Postwar era is followed by a short economic downturn then a boom time: teenagers and disposable income, expansion of the american middle class. Musical conservatism: musical expressions: light music and crooners, social and political basis: era of increased economic stability counterpointed by global political instability and conflict (cold war, ways of mitigating uncertainty in music business. Result: period of economic growth for music biz for major labels, marginal genres exert increasing influence of musical mainstream. We will consider the postwar era from three musical perspectives: the superstar crooners (pinnacle of conservatism, rhythm and blues, country and western.