Music is an ancient and beautiful concept
that has been around as long as humans have been able to communicate with each
other. I feel that music is an odd and interesting art form with a very strong
power to capture the attention and
imagination of a listener when done correctly.
Therefore, it is no surprise that it is also something that can deeply imprint
emotions, stories, and ideas in the listener. This is the true power that music
holds, by simply listening to a song you are being shaped by the rhythm and
lyrics that the artist creates. You might love the song and take its message to
heart, in which case you have now absorbed a bit of the morals and ideals of
that songs creator. On the other hand you might hate the song and reject
everything it says, even then it transfers to you a stance on the issue that
will shape your future perceptions, even if only a little. This has become increasingly true ever since radios first ancestor, the phonograph, was created by Thomas Edison in 1877. With each new evolution of sound transfer technology, music has become more mainstream and common in our lives and now a radio in the house or car is something almost anyone around the world has access to. Understanding this,
how is it exactly that music transfers not only emotions and single ideals, but
tastes of entire cultures to a new audience?
There are two ways
that I can see this happening, or two examples at least. The first is when “culture”
is considered as something varying between people of different nationalities. In
this case having a population that is becoming increasingly more diverse causes
a melding of cultures. For example, in the past few years the Hispanic
population has grown in the United States through immigration into the country.
As that population grew, they brought with them music from their own respective
countries. It’s true for a long time their music stayed isolated on the Spanish
only radio stations but already now we see this cultures music permeating into American
culture through music on hit music stations. Artists like Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Pit-bull
have in recent years had their music blow up on American charts. Songs like “hips
don’t lie” by Shakira, the many songs Pit-bull has been featured in with American
artists like “Mmm Yeah” by Austin Mahone or Enrique’s current english radio hit
“Bailando” have opened a window into Latin culture in this foreign land, and it
has caused Americans to try a music type that was completely unknown to them 20
to 30 years ago. I believe as time goes on this music will slowly become more
popular and will be seen as often on hit music stations as other genres like
pop and rap, and with that we will see a successful cultural transmission and
fusion.
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando
The other example I can
think of is within a group of people of the same nationality. Even in a group
of same origin there will always be separate views and sub cultures brought on by
the difference of opinions and experiences every person faces in their lives.
With each sub culture I feel there is a type of music that they create that
will for the most part represent that groups ideals. These ideals will vary as
the population ages and soon a new generation will come of age and begin to
form their own ideals. This is where music comes in, as even though the new
generation will have their own thoughts and experiences, all of that will be
shaped by the experiences of the prior generation, music being the main
instrument for this. For example today in the US the current generation in the
ages from 15-22 have their own music coming out that represents them and their generation’s
thoughts and perceptions, but most of them know and have grown up listening to
the music their parents enjoyed. We all know old artists like Elvis, the Beatles,
or Tupac. We may not play them as often as the older generation did but we have
heard them played by that generation and that music was the stepping stone our
music came from. Their ideals, morals and stories are the beginnings of ours,
therefore we see not only a transmission, but an evolution of culture as time
goes on.
No comments:
Post a Comment